Green light given to redevelop Wessex hotel in Bournemouth

Bournemouth Borough Council has granted Inland Homes planning permission to demolish and redevelop the three-AA-star Wessex Hotel in Bournemouth into residential units and a 100-bedroom hotel.

Building work on the £10-12m hotel development is anticipated to start early 2018 and the hotel is hoped to open during 2020.

The application by Inland stated that the current 51-bedroom hotel had grown "through an ad hoc series of unsympathetic extensions and alterations" which had "greatly compromised its significance, operational efficiency, and market potential".

The company said the accommodation was now outdated, had suffered from significant under-investment and required "substantial capital investment", but that refurbishment was not viable and a sustainable tourism offer was only achievable through the redevelopment of the entire site.

The hotel was acquired by Inland in November 2015 just one month after local developer Philip Oram acquired it for £3.75m from LaSalle Investment Management. It has been operated by Bespoke Hotels. Inland said it is engaging with numerous interested parties including Bespoke about operating the new facility, and it has not yet been decided whether the hotel will open under a new name.

Wessex hotel in Bournemouth sells for £3.75m >>

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