Plans released for a Premier Inn in Dartmouth

A website has launched to showcase plans for a Premier Inn at Little Cotton Farm in Dartmouth. 

Premier Inn is finalising plans for a new 105 room hotel in Dartmouth before submitting a reserved matters planning application to South Hams District Council. 

The entrance of the proposed hotel - credit Premier Inn

With a ground floor restaurant for use by visitors and residents, the hotel will be "convenient for tourist and business visitors to the town, with ample parking", and will create "30 year-round jobs" according to the plans. 

The plans state: "If our detailed plans are consented, the hotel will be built and owned by Whitbread – Premier Inn’s parent company. This would see an investment of an estimated £11 million in the local economy during construction and create 30 jobs on opening.

"If approved, our plans would provide a new economy hotel offer for the town and would help to meet the significant demand for family-friendly affordable accommodation for the many business and leisure travellers who visit Dartmouth throughout the year. The hotel will be operated by Premier Inn for the long-term."

The site will be located within the new housing development on the west side of Dartmouth on the A3122, known as Little Cotton Farm, in the main road into the town.  

The proposed site - credit Premier Inn

Talking about positive economic impacts for Dartmouth, the plans state: "We find that our hotels make a positive economic contribution to the communities they serve, as our guests go out to eat, drink, shop, visit attractions, and generally make the most of the local area.

"Our own research, based on 10,000 responses from our guests staying in leisure and coastal locations like Dartmouth during summer 2020, is that the average guest spends £55 per night excluding accommodation costs. Of this expenditure, 60% (£29) was spent in the local area (within two miles of where our guests are staying).

"Based on these figures and the predicted occupancy rate of the Dartmouth hotel, we anticipate guests of the Premier Inn Dartmouth hotel will result in millions of pounds per year in visitor expenditure in the local economy each year, which will help support local businesses and tourism, as well as bolster Dartmouth’s position as a thriving coastal town.

"Our research also indicates that whilst a significant majority of the guests in the hotel during the peak season will be leisure visitors, there will also be business travellers year-round."

Local people are invited to make comments about the plans, or ask to get paper copies of the proposals by contacting Premier Inn on 0800 689 5209 or emailing iThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or writing to 'Freepost Consultation Reply'. 

The proposal states: "It’s really important to us that the new building fits into the local neighbourhood, creating a comfortable, affordable, and attractive place for visitors to stay, as well as providing significant investment into jobs and the local economy.

"We have already spoken to Stoke Fleming Parish Council, Dartmouth Town Council, South Hams District Council and others about our plans for the site and are now ready to share our plans with the local community.

"We’ll be submitting our Reserved Matters application to South Hams District Council in the next few weeks. If you have any questions about the proposals, or would like to receive paper copies of the information, please get in touch with the project team."

You can view all the plans and information provided so far by visiting the Premier Inn website: premierinn-dartmouth.co.uk