April 2011

Hotel development plans to create more rooms and extra jobs

Scunthorpe Telegraph 5th April 2011

A BREWING giant is spearheading a boom in the hotel trade in Scunthorpe with an investment of nearly £900,000

Work is under way on creating an extra 21 rooms at the town's Premier Inn alongside the Anchor Lodge on the town's Lakeside.

The move by brewing giants Whitbread will create eight new jobs.

At the same time, another developer has announced that work will start next month on converting the former Mayfair public house in Cross Street into a 30-bedroom hotel.

And the Wortley Hotel is also looking at expanding.

A spokeswoman for Whitbread confirmed a summer opening had been set for the extension for the 16-year-old Premier Inn.

She said 21 rooms were being added to the existing 60 at the hotel.

"The investment figure for the site is £894,561," she said.

"Our investment will also create an extra eight jobs in the community to add to the present 55 staff."

The big spend means Whitbread has doubled the number of bedrooms at the Premier Inn since opening the complex in 1995.

In 2005, the company invested more than £500,000 on building a further 20 en suite bedrooms.

In a further boost for the town, local businessman Saghir Ahmed has been given planning approval by North Lincolnshire Council to convert the former Mayfair pub into a hotel.

Mr Ahmed, who paid a reported £300,000 for the property in 2009, said he planned to start work next month.

The work will entail building a two-storey extension to provide extra bedrooms and the demolition of a single-storey area at the rear of the premises.

Mr Ahmed, who used to run the nearby Tudor House restaurant, has yet to reveal details of the scale of his investment and the number of new jobs to be created.

But he has told planners the development represents a significant financial investment and will help regenerate the east end of Scunthorpe.

The Wortley House Hotel in Scunthorpe is also in talks with North Lincolnshire Council over acquiring an area of land on the adjoining Rowland Road Recreation Ground for an expansion.

Co-owner Lesley Nowell said the proposed expansion would consist of a gymnasium, but the costing and staffing details had yet to be confirmed.

To add to the feel-good factor in the local hotel trade, the award-winning Winteringham Fields site will also start work later in the year on building four extra bedrooms and a spa.