Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread, has submitted plans for a new Premier Inn in Dorchester which received positive response from the public during autumn consultation and will be studied by the Dorset Council.
This new property would take place on the site of the former Marks & Spencer store on South Street, in the heart of Dorchester. It would be a second Premier Inn for the town, in addition to its established hotel at Brewery Square which has been trading since 2013.
The proposed design of the future hotel received very favourable feedback, with many comments stating that the proposals are ‘tasteful’ and are well suited to the town centre location. The existing building thus would be demolished and replaced with a purpose built hotel built to Premier Inns latest design and sustainability specification.
If the plans are approved by the Dorset Council, Whitbread will invest more than £10 million in the construction of the hotel, supporting more than 50 jobs in the local economy for the duration of the build. Furthermore, this property would create an anticipated 30 new permanent jobs on opening.
The application we have submitted will bring the former M&S site back into long term use, delivering significant investment during the construction of the hotel and creating long-term opportunities when we open. We have benefited from the input of many stakeholders during the design and planning of the development, and I’m looking forward to seeing the application progress to committee and hopefully a recommendation to proceed.
Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager at Whitbread
United Kingdom
