It has hosted countless weddings, charity luncheons and celebrations for more than 50 years.

But Kingston’s best known hotel could soon be history. The Antoinette Hotel looks set to be demolished to make way for a new residential development.

A planning application by the Antoinette Hotel Group has been submitted to Kingston Council, seeking permission to build 19 houses and 60 flats on the site of the hotel, in Beaufort Road and Fassett Road.

The development would consist of 19 four-bedroom homes, eight three-bedroom flats, 43 two-bedroom flats and nine one-bedroom flats The application also includes parking for 108 cars and 114 bicycles, as well as 19 disabled parking bays.

Surrey Comet:

The Antoinette Hotel in Kingston 

A hotel spokeswoman said: "We would like to reassure all of our guests that there are no immediate plans to redevelop the site.

"We already have a great number of weddings and events booked for 2015, 2016 and many for 2017 which will not be affected."

According to supporting papers submitted with the application, the owners said it would be “increasingly difficult” for the Antoinette to compete against the number of hotel chains coming into Kingston.

The papers read: “Due to a number of large hotel chains coming to Kingston it will be increasingly difficult for the family owned and run Antoinette Hotel to compete in the long term with this modern accommodation.

“The hotel would require significant further investment to bring it up to date thereby allowing it to compete with the new hotels in the pipeline, ensuring a viable future. The AHG is therefore looking to redevelop the site.”

A new Hilton Doubletree hotel is due to open at the £70m Kingston Heights development on the riverside, while a 160-room Premier Inn recently opened at Combined House in Wheatfield Way.

The Antoinette Hotel has been open in Kingston since the 1960s, and currently has 96 bedrooms, a restaurant, a conference room and meeting rooms, plus 47 flats including staff accommodation.

Grove ward Councillor Phil Doyle said: “The Antoinette Hotel does look very tired – it does not look like something that is enhancing Kingston. It has not been a great success either.

“Given the housing needs of Kingston you have to think about what’s best for Kingston.”

The Antoinette Group owns and operates three and four star hotels in Kingston, Wimbledon and New Forest.

Discussions to demolish the Kingston venue have been taking place since July last year, according to documents on the council website. Comments on the application can be made until March 13.