New £10m hotel approved at former factory site

A new £10m hotel is a "real vote of confidence" in the future of a market town, a councillor has said.

North Norfolk District Council has approved an application for a Premier Inn to be built on the outskirts of North Walsham, Norfolk.

Lucy Shires, a Liberal Democrat councillor for the town, celebrated the brand coming to the area, adding she hoped it would attract more visitors and boost jobs.

It will be built on the former Crane Fruehauf site off Cromer Road.

Shires said: "A national company like Whitbread choosing to invest about £10m here is a real vote of confidence in our town's future.

"The hotel will bring the prospect of permanent jobs and more visitors spending money in local shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, with benefits for the surrounding area too."

Whitbread submitted plans for the site a year ago and received only one objection from consultees.

The council's conservation officer objected about the "architectural quality" of the design, believing it would appear "overly dominant" and was "box-like".

But on balance, officials ruled the benefits outweighed concerns about the design.

The approval of the hotel comes as North Walsham is expected to grow extensively, with thousands of homes earmarked for the town.

Shires said the council had been working to improve the town centre and its transport connections to attract investment.

However, she acknowledged improvements to local services were required, highlighting the need for a new doctors' surgery and service station.

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