Whitbread has secured planning consent for the redevelopment of the Norwich Nelson Premier Inn site.
The gateway site, which is located opposite Norwich railway station, will house a new mixed-use development comprising a 248-bed Premier Inn hotel, a 492-bed purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme set across two new five- and six-storey buildings, new homes, commercial space and a new public park and enhanced riverside walk.
The hotel will feature Premier Inn’s latest format bedrooms, including its ‘enhanced’ Premier Plus rooms, as well as its modern ‘The Social’ dining space.
The redevelopment forms part of Whitbread’s asset intensification strategy, which seeks to unlock value from the company’s underutilised city centre locations by delivering modern hotels alongside complementary uses such as homes, student accommodation and commercial spaces.
Richard Pearson, senior development manager at Whitbread, said: “This approval is a major milestone for Norwich and for Whitbread. The redevelopment will transform an ageing hotel into a new mixed-use destination which combines new high quality hotel and living accommodation and public spaces in one of the city’s most important locations.
“The scheme represents a significant long-term investment by Whitbread in Norwich city centre and forms part of our strategy to reinvest in our key gateway locations across the UK – taking advantage of our ability to deliver comprehensive, high-returning redevelopments on well-positioned, central locations that we own.
“We are immensely grateful to the support of so many Norwich residents and stakeholders during our planning journey. With planning consent now secured, we will work through the details of the planning consent and move towards delivering the investment the site deserves.”
Sheppard Robson Architects led on the masterplanning of the redevelopment alongside landscape architects Macfarlane Associates. Planning and social value advice was provided by Savills.
