Tigers submit £22m hotel plans

Leicester Tigers have formally submitted plans for a £22m hotel on land adjacent to their Welford Road stadium.The Premiership club have been working on the proposals with Leicester-based developer Pick Everard which include 183 rooms and 35,520 of reception, circulation, lounge and dining areas.If approved, the development would also feature a business centre, and retail and lobby areas.There would also be a flexible fan zone and public open space as well as a fitness suite, restaurant and fifth-floor sky bar.The original plans for the former Granby Halls site, which is currently used as an NCP car park, included 165 hotel rooms. Leicester City Council agreed to sell the site in 2016.An operator for the hotel has not yet been named by the club.The club have confirmed that contracts have been exchanged to start work in the summer of 2019 if planning approval is granted. Tigers had originally wanted the scheme to be completed for the 2019/20 season.The planning application has been formally submitted by Tigers Developments, which was set up by the club in September.Granby Halls was a live music, exhibition and sports arena and was home to basketball team Leicester Riders from 1980 to 1999.The site first opened in 1915 when it was constructed as the training halls for Leicester’s Army recruits during World War I.The building was demolished in 2001 after being vacant for three years.The council is set to make a final decision on the new application in the coming months.