Whitbread secures planning approval for transformational city centre regeneration scheme
- Whitbread secures planning consent for redevelopment of Norwich Nelson hotel site
- Plans include modern Premier Inn hotel, student accommodation, new homes, commercial space and a new public park
- Ambitious redevelopment is part of Whitbread’s national asset intensification strategy
An ambitious regeneration scheme that will transform a prominent gateway site opposite Norwich Railway Station has moved a step closer to delivery today [9th July] after Whitbread’s plans for the redevelopment of the Norwich Nelson Premier Inn site were approved by Norwich City Council.
Whitbread PLC, which owns the prime gateway location, intends to comprehensively redevelop the prominent site into a new mixed-use development featuring a modern Premier Inn hotel, high-quality purpose-built student accommodation, new homes, commercial space and a generous new public park and enhanced riverside walk.
The redevelopment forms part of Whitbread’s asset intensification strategy, which seeks to unlock value from the company’s underutilised city centre locations by delivering modern hotels alongside complementary uses such as homes, student accommodation and commercial spaces.
The first phases of the Norwich Nelson redevelopment will focus on the delivery of a new, larger 248-bedroom Premier Inn hotel as well as 492 purpose-built student accommodation and the new public park and upgraded public river walkway.
Approaching the development in this way allows Whitbread to continue to operate the Premier Inn Norwich Nelson hotel at the popular location during the construction of the comprehensive redevelopment.
The new hotel will feature Premier Inn’s latest format bedrooms, including its popular ‘enhanced’ Premier Plus rooms, as well as its modern “The Social” dining space.
Richard Pearson, Senior Development Manager for Whitbread, said:
“This approval is a major milestone for Norwich and for Whitbread. The redevelopment will transform an ageing hotel into a new mixed-use destination which combines new high-quality hotel and living accommodation and public spaces in one of the city’s most important locations.
“The scheme represents a significant long-term investment by Whitbread in Norwich city centre and forms part of our strategy to reinvest in our key gateway locations across the UK – taking advantage of our ability to deliver comprehensive, high-returning redevelopments on well-positioned, central locations that we own.
“We are immensely grateful to the support of so many Norwich residents and stakeholders during our planning journey. With planning consent now secured, we will work through the details of the planning consent and move towards delivering the investment the site deserves.”
Evolving the design with the input of Officers at Norwich City Council and other stakeholders, the development positions the new seven, six and five storey Premier Inn in a prominent location on Prince George Road facing Norwich Station.
The purpose-built student accommodation, set across two new five and six-storey buildings, are positioned within the site surrounded by a new public park and landscaped areas. Improved riverside connections and enhanced pedestrian routes from Prince George Road to the east and Baltic Wharf to the west also feature in Whitbread’s proposals.
New homes, approved in outline in the hybrid planning application, are located at the north of the site, adjacent to the Charles Darwin Primary School – and will be delivered as a final component of Whitbread’s three-phase redevelopment.
Sheppard Robson Architects led on the master planning of the Norwich Nelson redevelopment alongside landscape architects Macfarlane Associates and planning and social value advice was provided by Savills.
The Norwich Nelson redevelopment is Whitbread’s largest asset intensification project currently progressing in the East of England and reflects the company’s continued confidence in Norwich as a key regional city.
Other successful asset intensification projects have involved redeveloping outdated Premier Inn hotels in city centre locations in Bristol and Manchester into modern co-living and purpose-built student accommodation respectively.
