Redevelopment plans outlined for former Horsham pub

The Station Beefeater in North Road, Horsham, was closed in 2024 amid a shake-up by Premier Inn hotel chain owners Whitbread.

It became a Premier Inn restaurant after closing – serving only those staying in the Premier Inn opposite Horsham railway station.

But now Premier Inn Hotels has lodged a planning application with Horsham District Council to partly demolish the hotel restaurant and erect a replacement hotel and guest restaurant extension.

Walsingham Planning – agents for Premier Inn – say in a statement to the council that the company “has identified a considerable demand for additional budget hotel accommodation in this location.

“Equally, the existing hotel restaurant has shown a continued shortfall in demand. The applicant therefore seeks to reconfigure the hotel bedroom and restaurant offer on the site to ensure its success and future viability.”

The hotel currently has 64 bedrooms but it’s planned to increase the number to 96 air-conditioned rooms. It intends to retain a three-storey part of the existing restaurant and demolish one and two storey parts of the building, replacing them with a three-storey hotel extension.

A new guest restaurant will be located partially in the retained restaurant building and partially in the new building, if planning permission is granted.

Premier Inn Hotels says that access to the site would remain the same, with 67 car parking spaces provided, one less than at present.

It adds: “No additional land needs to be acquired to accommodate the proposed development.”

Walsingham Planning adds: “The proposed extension provides a contemporary addition to the existing hotel and enhances the street scene at this important junction.

“Removal of the two-storey element of the restaurant provides an opportunity to build a new contemporary extension that improves the setting and reinforces the character of the area.”

No decisions have yet been made by the council on the planning application.