A PLANNING application has been lodged to enable further student accommodation to be added to a former 18th Century coaching inn.

Durham University has applied to demolish and make alterations to part of the former Three Tuns Hotel, in New Elvet, and nearby number one Old Elvet.

Some of the affected buildings involved have enjoyed Grade II protective listing, since 1988, and lie with the city conservation area.

Since the hotel’s closure in 2013, the university has acquired the building and converted the existing bedrooms into student accommodation, marketing them under the name New Elvet Studios.

Permission was granted in the summer for the refurbishment of the last 15 rooms, three offices and the former drawing room, to create studio flats with kitchen fittings and en-suite bathrooms.

The latest application submitted to Durham County Council involves demolition of buildings at the rear of the site, backing onto Elvet Methodist Church, including the former hotel ballroom, which was developed in the inter-war years with later alterations.

A heritage evaluation, accompanying the application, states that the proposed development, “causes less than substantial harm to a number of the assets, but that the overall proposal and public benefits of such a scheme outweigh that harm.”

Neighbouring businesses and residents have been informed of the application, which can be viewed on the county council’s website.

Representations can be made to the council’s planning department by December 7.