Block Dutch Quarter hotel bid, councillors urged

4:00pm Wednesday 26th September 2012 in News

HOTELIERS have urged councillors to block a bid to build an 85-bed Premier Inn in Colchester - because they believe the town does not need it.

They say an independent report commissioned by Colchester Council in 2007 which showed the town needed several new hotels was out-of-date because of the double-dip recession.

Members of Colchester Hoteliers’ Association have urged councillors to reject an application to build a 3.5 storey hotel on St Peter’s Street, near Castle Park, when they meet tomorrow.

Planning officers have recommended the bid be approved, saying the tourism benefits outweigh the extra traffic it would cause.

A report cites an assessment by consultants Humberts, which said in 2007, and in a later update in 2009, that there was a shortage of hotels in Colchester town centre.

But a spokesman for the Rose & Crown hotel in East Street, said the nation’s economic woes meant the report was out-of-date.

See today's Gazette for the full story

Comments(5)

jim_bo says...
6:14pm Wed 26 Sep 12

A report commissioned by the council is wrong...??????

Surely not, I mean there must be 100's of visitors needing a bed for the night if over 500 people a day are visiting Firstsite.

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co4 says...
6:22pm Wed 26 Sep 12

In other words, the hoteliers do not want any competition. One thing this town DOES lack is hotel rooms! The existing hotels in Colchester are in the main - very poor quality and very expensive as hoteliers don't bother to improve their facilities as they know they will be booked up regardless due to the overwhelming demand. Build a big Premier Inn and a big Travelodge and the benefits will be there to see.

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roger bacon says...
8:18pm Wed 26 Sep 12

Obviously Co4 is not to well up on general knowledge. Travelodge is on the brink of administration and will not be building any more hotels, in fact they are in the process of closing at least 50

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The REAL Norm says...
10:18am Thu 27 Sep 12

Build it and they will come. The George and the Red Lion both need complete overhauls to be honest. Shame because they are nice historic buildings. I always thought they would be good for an episode of the Hotel Inspector. I thought a big hotel was part of the 'masterplan' for the area around firsts*ite?

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ShadowReturns says...
10:19am Thu 27 Sep 12

It would also appear that perhaps Roger Bacon should get a grasp as to what general knowledge is before he starts making snide remarks, how dare someone make a comment on a local news site without fully understanding the financial ins and outs of a budget hotel chain!

Back to the story this town is crying out for decent, comfortable and affordable accommodation. Perhaps the hoteliers association should pressure it's members to offer better value for money if they don't like the idea of competition.

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