PLANS to turn an empty West End hotel — part of which is A-listed — into luxury student accommodation have been submitted to the city council.

The Parklane Group want to convert and extend the former Lorne Hotel premises on Sauchiehall Street.

The complex, operating under the IconInc brand, would have 147 studios plus a range of facilities including a cinema, games rooms, gym, spa, events kitchens, an amphitheatre, cultural lounges and study lounges.

A design statement included with the planning application explains: “The hotel building sits on a prominent site and is made up of two distinct buildings that adjoin each other on Sauchiehall Street and are linked internally.

“The first is an A-Listed tenement style building that sits on the corner of Sauchiehall Street and Kelvingrove Street. The second is a 1960s concrete frame building that sits on the corner of Sauchiehall Street and Derby Street.”

It continues: “The Grade A Listed building will undergo some internal alterations to the rear of the building along with window upgrades and fabric repairs.

“The 1960s building element will undergo a far more comprehensive refurbishment, with significant works proposed to the existing facade to provide an industry standard non-combustible facade.

“This will also allow a re-imagining exercise to offer a more contextual and consistent treatment to the buildings main elevations.

“Additionally new replacement rear extensions are proposed as well as a set back rooftop extension to Derby Street.”

The document further states “The vision is to sympathetically re-purpose a vacant hotel into luxury student accommodation and to refurbish, repair and regenerate a significant heritage asset…as well as seizing an opportunity to visually improve and better embed the 923 building into the local urban fabric, whilst also drastically improving its thermal performance.”

The application is pending consideration by planners.