The plans involve a 116-bedroom Premier Inn hotel
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Plans for a new Premier Inn hotel along Bognor seafront have been released ahead of a public consultation next month. The Premier Inn, which would be located on the site of the old Fire Station building on Clarence Road, would consist of 116 bedrooms and aim to provide at least 30 "new permanent and year-round jobs" for locals.
Although no planning application has been submitted yet, Whitbread – Premier Inn's parent company – has said it wants to invest more than £10m on this new, propose hotel, which would feature the chain's latest format bedrooms, including enhanced Premier Plus rooms. The hotel would also feature the popular ground floor restaurant and will be designed to "high environmental standards" with the same Regency architecture-style as the town.
Although there is a Premier Inn on the "outskirts of Bognor", the proposed hotel on the Esplanade will offer accommodation for families seeking to spend time in this iconic holiday resort town by the sea. For the plans to go ahead, the planning application – due to be submitted before Easter – will have to be approved, and the land will have to be purchased from Arun District Council.
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Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager at Whitbread, said: “Premier Inn hotels in coastal and seaside locations like Bognor Regis are extremely popular with our customers. Our guests choose them for leisure breaks throughout the year and we also provide affordable accommodation for business guests year-round.
"We have had a presence on the outskirts of Bognor Regis for many years and are now seeking our first hotel in the centre of town on the Esplanade. We are bringing our very latest offer to Bognor Regis including our enhanced Premier Plus bedrooms.
"We will also be creating new permanent jobs and our guests will be supporting the local economy as they go out to eat, drink, visit attractions and generally make the most of where they are staying. We believe a new Premier Inn would bring a lot to Bognor Regis and I’m looking to discussing our plans with the community at our public exhibition in March.”
To consider the views of the local community, a public consultation event and an online webinar will be held in March, with the in-person event happening next week (March 8) from 2pm until 7.30pm at The Parish Centre. The online webinar will also be held next week (March 9) where more detailed plans will be discussed.
Referring to the site as an "ideal" location at the "heart of Bognor Regis", the aim of the hotel is to attract visitors to the local area and enjoy the best of what the coastal town has to offer. The exact date the planning application will be submitted has not been confirmed.
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