Torbay Council asks itself for permission to build £11m Premier Inn in a car park

Torbay Council is asking itself for permission to build a 120-bed Premier Inn hotel in a car park overlooking Torquay Harbour.The council is the developer and also the planning authority which is being asked to grant permission for the scheme.The £11m investment is part of the council’s strategy to bring in extra revenue from commercial property.It will borrow to fund the construction of the hotel by contractor Midas and lease it to Whitbread to operate as a Premier Inn.Profit from the deal will go to help fund council services which have been under pressure from years of Government cuts.A planning application for the scheme has now been lodged with the council.A planning statement with the application from consultants Roach Planning of Teignmouth, on behalf of the council, says the hotel will will be able to take up to 370 guests.The document says the scheme will create 30 jobs at the hotel and six others in the supply chain.It says the hotel will generate around £1.16m for the local economy and will accommodate an estimated 64,000 guests a year.The statement says the wider economic benefits amount to around £3.3m a year in additional tourism spending on food, drink and entertainment.Construction by Midas will create 124 job directly and 27 others. A target has been set of four out of five sub-contractors to be based within 30 miles.Construction and completion of the hotel will cost £11m.