Kensington and Chelsea planners have advised the councils planning committee to approve the application to add four storeys to the five-star 1973 Park Tower Hotel and rework the impervious podium and public realm. The designs go before the committee on Thursday (3 April).The 40m-tall tower, just south of Hyde Park, will increase by 15m in height under Stanton Williams plans. The 2012 Stirling Prize winners proposed rooftop addition will rise 10m above the height of an existing application drawn up by Darling Associates, which was approved in 2020.The latest scheme would remove the existing two top floors before adding an extension of six storeys, four of which will house eight flats. None of the homes will be designated affordable.AdvertisementThe other storeys will be given over to hotel rooms.Stanton Williams claims the 52-year-old cylindrical building currently appears squat and suggested the added height would give it a vertical emphasis denoting successful tall buildings.The hotels distinctive mosaic tiles would also be cleaned under the plans, alongside other more minor changes such as replacing the windows and thermally improving the facade.The podium, described by council planners in its current state as unattractive, would be redeveloped with a restaurant and roof terrace, as well as other commercial space. This tower base currently contains a casino, which would not survive the redevelopment. Planners said this would be welcomed.Stanton Williams said the revamped podium would transform the public realm into an attractive and welcoming place, animated by active frontages and transparent elevations, sympathetic to the surrounding context. They described the current state of the frontage and streetscape as poor and uninspiring.AdvertisementThe plans also include an extension of the basement to include an electrical substation and the removal of a public underground car park below the hotel.The number of hotel rooms would decrease from 271 to 240.Hotel owners Marriott said that it would not be commercially viable to include affordable housing in the hotel extension. If planning permission is granted Marriott set to pay 16.5 million to offset this.Stanton Williams said it had the aim of bringing the building back to life, regenerating a very prominent site in the heart of Knightsbridge, and achieving significant enhancements to the local streetscape and public realm.Recommending approval, council planning officers said the scheme provides high-quality residential and commercial floorspace in a sustainable edge-of-town-centre location, adding that the extensions and alterations had been carefully designed to respect the context of the site.Proposals with red line showing outline of the existing building