New rooftop garden and restaurant approved for Eastbourne hotel

Plans, now approved, will see an extension to the New Wilmington Hotel on Compton Street to provide a fifth storey.

The extension, will also provide the hotel with an additional 12 rooms.

The rooftop terrace as part of the submission, will provide 150 seats for dining guests and would be enclosed by a glazed screen and would also have a retractable shade comprising steel posts and horizontal supports.

The plans state that the extension will provide seven extra full time jobs following the expansion of the hotel and restaurant facilities.

In the planning report GRF Planning said: “The development will bring significant economic benefits to the town and increase the amount of good quality, serviced accommodation.

"It will provide additional employment which comprises full time jobs. The proposal will not cause harm to the Conservation Area and any effects will be outweighed by the benefits the proposal will bring.”

The application comes after the hotel was sold to a new owner in 2021.

The three star hotel was on the market at a guide price of £1.6 million when it was sold.

In its statement of approval, planning officer Chloe Timm said: “The proposed development will have no negative impacts on the amenity of occupiers surrounding the site and will not have a detrimental impact on the character and vitality of the surrounding conservation area.

"The proposal has been amended during the course of the application to ensure no visual harm is caused to the character of the building or the wider area.”