Torbay Council, working collaboratively with Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, has successfully secured planning permission for a new 120-bedroom Premier Inn hotel and in-house restaurant in central Torquay.
The hotel supports wider economic and tourism objectives, underlining the English Riviera as one of the country’s top ten visitor destinations and meeting consumer expectations for branded hotels in Torbay.
It will benefit Torbay by attracting new and all year round visitors, by encouraging further investment and by improving the quality of accommodation available. It will also help to regenerate Torquay town centre as Premier Inn’s customers go out to eat, drink and be entertained in and around Torquay Harbour.
The new Premier Inn hotel, which was granted planning consent unanimously by Torbay Council’s Planning Committee on Monday (12th August), will be located just off Montpellier Road in central Torquay, on part of the currently under-used Terrace Car Park. The location is minutes from The Strand and Torquay Harbour and the proposed hotel will enjoy views over Tor Bay.
Councillor Swithin Long, Torbay Council Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Housing, said:
“This is a great example of how Torbay Council is using its assets and its skills to deliver development that is of huge value to Torbay. This project supports front line services provided by the Council for the community, generates jobs and skills development, and it supports the community’s town centre regeneration ambitions. Approximately 30 new year-round jobs are expected to be created, with recruitment and training focussed in Torquay and the surrounding area.”
Whitbread will be taking a long-lease on the completed hotel building which has been designed carefully to fit with its surrounding and meet Whitbread’s latest requirements.
Midas has been appointed by the Council to build the hotel. It is expected that work on site will start in the autumn with a targeted completion date of March 2021.
Paul Smith, Acquisitions Manager for the South West at Premier Inn, said:
“Securing unanimous planning consent for the 120-bedroom Premier Inn on Montpellier Road demonstrates the quality of the new hotel and the long-term benefits we will bring. More and more Premier Inn customers are staying with us for leisure breaks and staycations in Devon and Cornwall and our desire for a second Premier Inn hotel in Torquay reflects strong demand for Premier Inn bedrooms in the town year-round. We are confident the hotel will be very popular with our guests when the doors open.”
The recruitment process for new Premier Inn hotels starts approximately three to four months ahead of a new hotel opening and Premier Inn has policies targeting recruitment of those not in employment, education or training (sometimes referred to as ‘NEETs’), particularly young people in the 16-24 age bracket. The business intends to work with the local Job Centre Plus to ensure that the job opportunities arising from the new hotel are targeted at local people.
The hotel will be Premier Inn’s second hotel in Torquay, adding to the seafront hotel on Shedden Hill Road. In the wider Torbay area Whitbread also operates two Premier Inn hotels in Paignton (Paignton Seafront and Paignton South) and an 84-bedroom Premier Inn in Newton Abbot.
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