Premier Inn in Colchester eyes up extension at site after 'considerable demand'

Plans have been submitted to extend a busy hotel near the A12 in Colchester.

The Premier Inn in Ipswich Road is looking to add a two-storey extension to the existing hotel, providing additional bedrooms.

According to the planning statement, Premier Inn has identified a "considerable demand for additional budget hotel accommodation in this location”.

The hotel currently offers 105 bedrooms in the L-shaped premises, as well as a Table Table restaurant and an adjoining car park with a total of 127 spaces.

Planning permission was granted in 2004 for a 45-bed hotel and a Brewers Fayre restaurant, followed by permission in 2008 for a part two-storey and part three-storey extension, as well as expansion of the car park area.

Premier Inn, which is the UK’s largest hotel brand, states in the planning application: “It is also acting to reconfigure the restaurant proposition to ensure it best fits the needs of customers in select locations.

Hotel - The Premier Inn in Ipswich Road (Image: Google Maps)

“This proposal for additional bedrooms and an adjusted restaurant proposition would meet Premier Inn’s operational requirements at the location and go some way in helping to address this bedroom demand.”

The extension would be located in the north-west of the site and attached to the northern end of the west wing at the ground and first-floor level.

Ten standard bedrooms and one universal access bedroom could be added on the ground floor, while the first floor would gain 11 standard bedrooms, bringing a net increase of 16 rooms.

Plans were also outlined to convert five rooms into a new breakfast room for their guests, but as these changes are internal, the development does not require planning permission.

Included in the proposal is also a plan to create a wildflower meadow at the grassed area at the site entrance and a modification of the car park.

If agreed, the car park would see a reduction in spaces from the original 127 to 110 spaces, with the number of disabled spaces, eight in total, unchanged.

“There is demand for additional hotel bedrooms which would create additional employment opportunities during the operational and construction phases, as well as supporting third-party suppliers", plans say.

“The proposed extension would be built on brownfield land and would make more efficient use of the site without needing to expand into the countryside surrounding Colchester.”

As the site falls into Tendring Council’s boundaries, the planning committee there will make the final decision.