Whitbread has submitted a planning application for a new 104-bed Premier Inn hotel in Carlisle city centre.
In May 2025, Whitbread acquired the former Central Plaza site on Victoria Viaduct from Cumberland Council.
The site has a connection to the hospitality industry stretching back to 1881, but in more recent years a hotel on the site fell into disrepair and was demolished in 2019/2020.
Whitbread is seeking planning permission to build a new five-storey Premier Inn hotel on the site, which will offer the brand’s latest format ‘Standard’ and enhanced ‘Premier Plus’ bedrooms as well as a guest-focused restaurant. Subject to planning, Whitbread is hoping to commence development in 2026.
Jill Anderson, acquisition manager for Whitbread in the North of England, said: “Since announcing our plans in May 2025 people have told us that they wish to see the vacant Central Plaza site brought back into long-term use. They also welcome the new employment opportunities and positive economic benefits the hotel will bring to the city. We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve received so far from stakeholders and representative groups we have spoken to.
“The site on West Walls is not an easy location to redevelop into a hotel and we’ve had to be flexible to create a design that meets our operational requirements and is economically viable. The contemporary design we are proposing responds positively to the historic context and will create an active frontage onto both Victoria Viaduct and West Walls. We’re eager to move the proposal forward, get onto site and deliver the package of benefits the hotel will create.”
