Green light for 58–bed hotel in Matlock

Members of Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Environment Committee formally accepted an offer from Premier Inn of £375,000 for the land in front of Arc Leisure.

The national chain plans to build a 58–bedroom hotel with associated parking and restaurant, subject to planning permission being granted.

The offer comes after the company, owned by Whitbread, carried out a number of checks and investigations on the site.

Premier Inn has said it wishes to design the building with the help of local people and does not wish to detract from the view of Arc Leisure.

Speaking in the Environment Committee meeting on Thursday, Councillor Geoff Stevens said: “I think Premier Inn are showing a real commitment to the town before they even get here.

“I like what I hear about them not overshadowing the Arc, which we are terribly proud of.”

He went on to say he thought the hotel would be of benefit to Matlock.

Members unanimously voted in favour of the sale of the land.

Nicholas Johnston, acquisitions manager for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, said: “We are delighted that the Derbyshire Dales District Council has accepted our offer for the site adjacent to the Arc leisure centre.

“As with all of our new sites, we will be carrying out our due diligence on site over the coming weeks.

“We then look forward to inviting the local residents to a public consultation to exhibit and discuss our proposals in detail.

“The proposed Premier Inn represents a £4million investment in the town and we’re looking forward to being part of the community.

“The new Premier Inn will create 25 new jobs in the local area as well as deliver a boost to the local economy.

“Premier Inn is the UK’s biggest hotel chain with over 670 hotels and over 54,000 rooms.

“We are targeting to grow to 75,000 rooms by 2018 and we are aiming to recruit 8,000 new people over the next five years – 50 per cent of whom will not be in employment, education or training (NEETs).

“With the Derbyshire Dales District Council’s approval, we look forward to coming to Matlock, contributing to the town and opening our doors to the public as soon as possible.”