Premier Inn submits plans for hotel in heart of Dorchester
Proposals for additional hotel in the town centre received positive response from the public during autumn consultation
Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread PLC, has submitted plans for a new hotel on the site of the former Marks & Spencer store on South Street, Dorchester.
This would be a second Premier Inn for the town, in addition to its established hotel at Brewery Square which has been trading since 2013.
As well as providing additional accommodation for both tourist and business travellers, the hotel would create an anrticipated 30 new permanent jobs on opening, boosting the local economy year-round.
Whitbread has now submitted a planning application to Dorset Council following public consultation last autumn, when residents were able to view the plans, ask questions to the design and development team and give their feedback.
The proposed design received very favourable feedback, with many comments stating that the proposals are ‘tasteful’ and are well suited to the town centre location.
As much of the existing building has fallen into disrepair it is proposed that it would be demolished and replaced with a purpose built hotel built to Premier Inns latest design and sustainability specification.
If the plans are approved, Whitbread will invest more than £10 million in the construction of the hotel, supporting more than 50 jobs in the local economy, on and off site, for the duration of the build.
Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager at Whitbread, said:
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in our public consultation last year. The feedback we received showed significant support for the redevelopment of the site as a Premier Inn hotel which we were delighted to hear.
“The application we have submitted will bring the former M&S site back into long term use, delivering significant investment during the construction of the hotel and creating long-term opportunities when we open.
“We have benefited from the input of many stakeholders during the design and planning of the development, and I’m looking forward to seeing the application progress to committee and hopefully a recommendation to proceed.”
For more information, visit the dedicated website for the proposed development at www.premierinn-dorchester.co.uk.
