Construction of a controversial hotel in Keswick is on course with the developers predicting that its doors will be thrown open to guests before Christmas.
Work on building the 71-bedroom Premier Inn at High Hill has been in progress for just over five months and the hotel is beginning to take shape on a daily basis.
“During that time the team has successfully cleared the site, completed the necessary groundwork, laid the foundations, and the frame of the new 71-bedroom hotel is currently being constructed,’’ said Richard Aldread, head of UK and Ireland construction for Premier Inn.
“The team are currently working on the frame of the new building before moving to fit out the new hotel during the summer and early autumn all being well.’’
Permission for the hotel was granted by the Lake District National Park Authority in October 2020 despite a concerted public campaign, backed by Keswick Town Council, against it going ahead.
Opponents even presented a 3,000-name petition, but the hotel got the go ahead by eight votes to two.
The company is predicting 44,000 overnight stays per year at the hotel, with guests expected to generate close to £2 million per year of total tourism expenditure in the local economy.
Darlington-based Premcor, which owns the site, has said it proposed to invest more than £6 million into the new T-shaped hotel. Approximately 30 new permanent jobs are expected to be created with recruitment targeted in Keswick and the wider Lake District.
“We are currently on track to open the new Keswick Premier Inn before Christmas with colleagues in Whitbread’s new site opening teams starting to recruit for the new roles at the hotel in the early autumn,’’ said Mr Aldread.
“Opening the doors of the first Premier Inn in the Lake District National Park will be a real milestone for us and we are looking forward to playing a positive and long-term role in the community when the hotel is ready to open and welcome guests.”
The new hotel building will be at the front of the site facing onto High Hill with Premier Inn’s in-house restaurant providing an active frontage onto the road. Bedrooms will be located above and to the rear with 29 on-site car parking spaces located behind the building to the rear of the site.
GMI construction has set up a dedicated email address – build@gmicon.co.uk – for any specific comments or questions on the development.
