Plans Revealed For 69 Bed Budget Hotel In Whitehaven
Plans have been revealed for a new 69 bed budget hotel in Whitehaven, with the proposed development aimed at bringing additional visitor accommodation and investment into the town centre.
The proposed hotel would be built on the former bus depot site at Bransty Row, opposite the Wetherspoon pub. The site has previously been identified as an opportunity for development and occupies a prominent position close to Whitehaven Harbour.
Social impact property developer BEC is behind the proposal and says the scheme could bring a nationally recognised hotel operator into the town if planning permission is secured.
The company has appointed Carlisle based Unwin Jones Partnership as architects for the project, while Savills has been brought in as planning consultants. Both firms are expected to begin work on the scheme immediately.
BEC says the proposed hotel would increase the amount of accommodation available to visitors and could provide additional support for Whitehaven's hospitality economy.
The plans come after the recent launch of the Whitehaven Masterplan, which sets out wider ambitions for regeneration, investment and future development across the town.
BEC said the Bransty Row site had long been regarded as a development opportunity and highlighted its location close to the harbour as an important feature of the proposed scheme.
Michael Pemberton, chief executive of BEC, described the proposal as a further indication of private sector confidence in Whitehaven and said the company wanted to see more investment being brought into the town.
He said a 69 bed hotel operated by a nationally recognised brand would bring more visitors into Whitehaven and could contribute to the momentum created by the newly published masterplan.
Mr Pemberton also pointed to previous developments undertaken by BEC in the town, including the transformation of the former bus station and the opening of the £4.6 million LEVELS technology centre.
He said Whitehaven had significant potential and argued that bringing vacant and underused sites back into productive use would help create the conditions needed to attract further investment.
Cumberland Council leader Mark Fryer has backed the hotel proposal, saying the authority is working with partners to advance investment and regeneration plans for Whitehaven.
Councillor Fryer described the masterplan as a catalyst for the area's future development and said the council was looking forward to seeing Whitehaven continue to grow and benefit from the investment being proposed.
Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister also welcomed the plans, saying the proposed hotel represented the type of investment that the Whitehaven Masterplan was intended to help unlock.
Mr MacAlister said a new hotel on such a prominent site could support local shops, pubs and restaurants, while strengthening the town's visitor economy and making greater use of Whitehaven's position as a gateway to the western Lake District.
The proposal is now at the planning and development stage, with the appointed architectural and planning teams beginning work on the scheme. Further details will emerge as the plans progress through the relevant processes.
The proposed development forms part of wider efforts to attract investment and regenerate underused areas of Whitehaven. The town's masterplan provides a broader framework for these ambitions, with private sector investment expected to play an important role.
If approved and delivered, the hotel would add 69 rooms to the town's visitor accommodation and introduce a new commercial use to the former bus depot site at Bransty Row.
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