West Sussex town’s Premier Inn to be demolished and replaced with new building if planning application goes through

Premier Inn Hotels Ltd have applied to Mid Sussex District Council to demolish the existing hotel restaurant in Charles Avenue.

They said the new building would provide additional hotel bedrooms and a guest restaurant and there would be alterations to the car park and all associated works.

The company applied via agent Walsingham Planning and people can view the application at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications using the reference DM/24/2530.

Walsingham Planning’s cover letter said: “Premier Inn has identified a considerable demand for additional budget hotel accommodation in this location. The proposal for additional bedrooms would meet Premier Inn's operational requirement at the location and help to address increased bedroom demand. The proposed development would result in the net provision of 64 hotel bedrooms increasing the existing hotel provision on the site.”

But the letter said this proposal would reduce the restaurant offer on site to 80 covers for hotel guests only.

It said: “Alterations to the car park layout are sought the proposals would provide 115 car parking spaces; a net gain of 12 which would be sufficient to accommodate the likely parking demand post-development.”

The Design and Access Statement said: “Given Premier Inn’s integral role in supporting the local economy and tourism sector, the necessity for additional rooms is apparent. By facilitating this expansion, Premier Inn endeavours to continue its mission of providing much needed accommodation services that benefit both the community and the broader economy.”

The application site forms part of Victoria Business Park and is located within the Burgess Hill Neighbourhood Plan boundary. The existing hotel provides 60 bedrooms over three floors and 2,094sqm (GIA).

The statement continued: “The site is considered ideal for redevelopment, business travellers form a large proportion of guests staying at the existing hotel and the rooms are in high demand. The hotel extension will provide a viable use for the former restaurant site that has seen a drastic reduction in visitors in recent years as people have switch to lower cost options such as takeaways and eating at home.”

It added that there would be a ‘seamless integration of the new building with the existing hotel’ that would improve operational efficiency and create ‘a more cohesive guest experience’.