Whitbread submits planning application for Premier Inn hotel in North Walsham
Whitbread PLC, the owner of Premier Inn, has submitted a full planning application to North Norfolk District Council for a new 81‑bedroom Premier Inn hotel on part of the former Fruehauf factory site off Cromer Road, North Walsham.
The previously developed site is located adjacent to Waitrose, MKM Builders Merchants and Tom Moore House on the western edge of North Walsham in North Norfolk.
Whitbread’s plans will bring Premier Inn’s latest format bedrooms and guest Lounge to the previously developed plot alongside 80 guest car parking spaces and landscaping. Around 20 permanent jobs are expected to be created on opening.
North Walsham currently has no branded hotels, with the nearest Premier Inns located in Norwich, 15 miles away, and Great Yarmouth, 25 miles away.
Commenting on the submission, a spokesperson for Whitbread, said:
“Premier Inn is known for offering high-quality, great-value accommodation with the warm welcome we are famous for.
“North Norfolk is an area where we are looking to invest and grow, driven by strong year-round demand from our leisure guests as well as many business customers that use Premier Inn for work.
“We’re excited about the possibility to bring Premier Inn to North Walsham and transform a vacant site into a modern, purpose-built hotel.
“It’s somewhere we believe we can add long‑term value by attracting overnight guests to the town, creating permanent hospitality jobs and supporting local businesses through their spending generated during their stay.”
Independent research commissioned by Whitbread shows Premier Inn guests spend on average £143 per room per night, with £71 typically spent locally within a two-mile radius of the selected hotel. This year‑round economic contribution supports local shops, cafés, pubs, restaurants and visitor attractions.
In line with Whitbread’s sustainability strategy, Force For Good, the proposed North Walsham Premier Inn will be powered by electricity backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) – with the building incorporating heat recovery systems and air source heat pumps to create a low energy demand.
The planning application will shortly be available on North Norfolk District Council’s planning portal and Whitbread and its planning consultants, Walsingham Planning, welcome engagement from residents, businesses and stakeholders on the proposals.
If approved, the company is expected to invest more than £10 million in the hotel development.
Whitbread currently operates a network of more than 85,500 Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn bedrooms across the UK & Ireland and is expanding in this core market towards a network potential for 125,000 UK&I rooms.
