A NEW Premier Inn Hotel will be good for Bude, according to town councillors, who are pleased that Whitbread Plc has taken their views on board with the design, writes Ryan Cox.

Since the original plan to convert the derelict Strand Hotel into a 55-bedroom Premier Inn, Whitbread Plc decided it would be more beneficial to demolish the existing building and build a brand new 62-bedroom hotel with bar and restaurant facilities from scratch.

When the original application was put to Bude-Stratton Town Council, councillors were pleased to have a major company show their intent to invest in the town, but raised concerns about the design.

Committee chairman Cllr Bob Willingham was especially concerned that the design was out of touch with the surrounding buildings, particularly the roofline. But after being shown the new hotel design at the planning committee meeting last Thursday, he said he was ‘really pleased they’ve taken on board what we said about improvements to the design’.

He added: “I said before that the building would need pitched roofs and dormer windows and it looks like they’ve done that.”

One member of the public objected to the plans on the Cornwall Council website, claiming the development ‘will tower above the current architectural styles’, but councillors pointed out that the new design allows the hotel roofline to be lower than that which is currently there.

Cllr Willingham proposed that the town council approves the application, and a majority were in agreement.

Cllr Lee Bartrop asked for his objection to be recorded for the reason that he felt the area could have a better use than a hotel.

Cllr Peter Moores, who was present at the meeting but not on the committee, said: “I’m pleased that we, as a town council, are pushing on with the application as there’s nothing worse than the monstrosity that’s been there for the best part of five decades.”

If all goes to plan, work on the site is set to start in the winter for a late 2016 completion.

The final decision on the application rests with Cornwall Council.