PLANS for a large new budget hotel in Wirral are expected to give a boost to the borough’s thriving International Business Park.
The new scheme would also add to a raft of similar developments in the pipeline for the borough.
The new three-storey 60- bedroom Travelodge would be opposite the successful Village Hotel, in Bromborough, at one of the entrances to the International Business Park.
Last night, local councillor Steve Niblock welcomed the plans saying “there is a need in Wirral for increased hotel accommodation”.
He added: “The site already has planning permission for office space, but in Wirral there is pressure for more hotel beds.
“And this is literally at the entrance to the International Business Park – clearly, it will provide some extra employment in the area, but for the business park it will also give visitors and business people an extra option of somewhere to stay.”
Wirral International Business Park (WIBP) is within the Wirral Waterfront regeneration area.
It comprises 336 hectares (830 acres) of industrial and commercial sites and retail, leisure and residential areas at Bromborough, along the banks of the Mersey.
Its importance as a key location in the regional economy has been recognised by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, which identified it as one of the top regional strategic investment sites.
The Park currently provides an excellent business location for more than 100 organisations, including Tulip Foods, Meyer Prestige, Cereal Partners, Stiebel Eltron, FMC Corporation, BakeMark UK (Arkady Craigmillar), Qualitek, BPI, Lees Lloyd Whitley, Adviser Plus, SAFC Hitech, Invitrogen, T-Systems, Givaudan and Quest International.
In total, more than £150m has been invested in WIBP, and 1,800 of a targeted 3,000 jobs have been created through attracting new companies to the new business park areas.
This latest scheme follows plans in Wirral for a number of other hotels which include both new sites and redevelopments of existing businesses.
Among these are the Neptune scheme, in New Brighton, which includes a hotel on the seafront, a new hotel overlooking West Kirby’s Marine Lake, and the newly-opened Leverhulme Hotel, in Port Sunlight.
Earlier this year, the Daily Post revealed details of Peel’s first steps towards the £4bn Wirral Waters scheme with plans for the redevelopment of the iconic Central Hydraulic Tower, at the Four Bridges, into a restaurant and hotel complex.
The Kings Gap Hotel, in Hoylake, is also set to undergo a £7m redevelopment, subject to planning permission, to create a 66-room boutique hotel.
In a lengthy planning applica-tion submitted to Wirral Council, the supporting statement said: “It is felt that the resultant designs for the new Travelodge are contextually correct within the site and wider area. Above all, this project could contribute to the long-term success of Wirral International Business Park, giving a lease of life to a site which has until now not been able to find a viable development.”
According to the plans submitted, the new hotel would have 45 double rooms, 12 family suites and three fully accessible rooms.
The application is also accompanied by ecological and archaeological studies in support of the scheme.
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