A planned expansion of the Nautilus hotel property, which drew the ire of neighbours, has been turned down by the Development Applications Board.

Atlantic Hotel had sought planning permission for a four-storey tourism building immediately west of the original Nautilus building to increase the number of tourism units on the site in South Shore, Warwick.

Neighbours raised concerns about the scale of the project along with the increased density of development on the property.

While the plans were revised to reduce the building from four storeys to three, a report by a technical officer prepared for the DAB echoed the neighbours’ concerns and recommended that the application be refused.

“There are no limitations of site coverage, density or hard surfacing within tourism zones. However, policy requires density of development to not congest the site or overburden the amenities, services and facilities provided on site or infrastructure of the surrounding area,” the report said.

“It is noteworthy that the current proposal together with other existing and approved development would result in almost the entire part of the site north of the rock cut to its southern section being developed with a combination of buildings and hard surfacing.

“Such an amount of development is not reflective of the adjacent Azura development, which incorporates significantly more planting, nor the adjacent residential area to the west to which the proposed building would lie directly adjacent.

“The amenities on site are limited relative to the number of hotel keys, and the current proposal would place additional burden on such facilities. It is therefore considered that the proposal represents overdevelopment of the site, leaving little possibility for the incorporating of meaningful landscaping.”

The report writer said that building heights for tourism developments are at the full discretion of the board.

However, the writer said that the proposed location on an elevated portion of the property would make the building “appear excessively prominent” from public vantage points and tower over homes to the immediate north and west.

“The proposed three-storey building fails to reflect or blend in with the established character of the neighbourhood, which is comprised predominantly of residential-scale buildings of traditional design and typically no more than two storeys in height,” the report said.

The technical officer also noted that while the project would increase the number of units, it would also reduce the number of parking spaces at the property.

“The proposed building will reduce the amount of car parking spaces on the lot from 15 to nine while the units provided on the lot is 20 with a potential of 47 hotel keys,” the report said.

“The department acknowledges that this proposal provides nine additional bike-parking spaces. However, based on recent experience, most customers rent electric cars rather than bikes and, as such, reducing the amount of car-parking spaces on the lot is viewed as a loss.

“The applicant has failed to adequately demonstrate that the proposed parking provision is adequate and, as such, the department is not in support of the proposed parking arrangement.”

The report added that the location of the proposed building had previously been earmarked as a parking area for 15 cars, which the department considered “a more suitable use”.

“Not only does it provide for a more substantial buffer between the three-storey development building nestled into the cliff and the residential homes to the south, but it also provides for a more functional and practical parking area,” the report concluded.

The application went before the DAB on Wednesday, and the board refused the proposal.

The Azura and Nautilus complex has been hailed as a high-end investment in Bermuda’s product overlooking the South Shore, with the construction and its on-site jobs generating much needed employment.

Neighbours had voiced concerns about the “piecemeal” approach to development and the impact of construction work at the site.