Luxury hotel and spa submits transformational plans

The Fairlawns Hotel and Spa has submitted plans to Walsall Council to add a raft of new facilities and accommodations.The four-star hotel in Aldridge is seeking approval to build two padel courts, extend its pool, add a 38-space EV car park, a new leisure retreat and bistro as well as nine log cabins.Padel has become increasingly popular across the country, and a request for courts at the Fairlawns has surged whilst tennis demand has declined.If approved, the scheme would be carried out in four stages and add 24 jobs to the hotel’s 150-strong staff.Fairlawns already offers 59 rooms with 6 suites, a restaurant, bar and lounge alongside a pool, gym and spa. Outside, are tennis courts, a fitness course and a woodland nature walk.Owner John Pette wrote in a statement with the proposal that plans would “protect jobs through proactive investment and development” and “enable us to secure and grow employment in the area.”The Pette family have run the Fairlawns Hotel and Spa since 1984 and acquired the business in 1998.Pette thanked the council for its support in allowing the family to evolve “the fabric and facilities of the business from a ‘restaurant with rooms’ in 1984 into the more significant venue you see today.”Walsall Council planning officers are expected to make a decision on the application in June.