Work continues as Bognor's new Premier Inn hotel starts to take shape

Work on the 116-bedroom hotel started last year and top brass at Whitbread PLC say it should be finished by October, at which point it will create 30 new jobs for local people and contribute £2.8 million to the local economy every year.

The final site will take up part of the Esplanade, including the old fire station, and part of the Regis centre car park, which visitors will use for parking. Planning permission for the site was granted last year, not long after a landswap agreement with Arun District Council, which saw Whitbread give up the lease on the nearby Regis Centre in order to facilitate multi-million pound renovation works.

The landswap, which involved a £750,000 buyout to secure the rights to the Regis Centre, also saw Whitbread give up the lease on the Brewers Fayre site, which has been empty since April last year.

In a statement issued shortly after planning permission was approved, Louise Woodruff, property acquisitions manager for Whitbread, said: “The wide appeal of Premier Inn helps to drive the high year-round occupancy we experience across our network and informs the investment case for new locations like Bognor Regis seafront. The planning consent gives us the go-ahead to bring forward our multi-million pound investment in Bognor town centre, create new jobs and help to support the local economy through the year-round spending of our guests. It is fantastic news for us and the town.”

Whitbread PLC has been contacted for comment.