Solihull council planners have approved a major expansion project for Premier Inn’s hotel located on Stratford Road in Hockley Heath. The budget hotel chain’s existing 77-bedroom facility will increase to 91 bedrooms following the conversion of the site’s former Beefeater restaurant, known as The Barn.
Premier Inn’s owners, Whitbread, initially submitted the application in July, highlighting a clear demand for additional budget accommodation in the area. According to the planning consultants from Walsingham Planning Limited, the site’s proximity to key transport links and local amenities makes it an ideal location for expansion.
The project involves partially converting the ground floor of the former restaurant to create eight new bedrooms by repurposing the current training room. While a portion of the restaurant will be retained to continue offering food and beverage services to hotel guests, the move balances accommodation growth with maintaining hospitality facilities.
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Additionally, six more bedrooms will be added by converting existing syndicate and meeting rooms within the main hotel building. Plans submitted with the application illustrate the updated room layout post-conversion.
The planning agents justified the loss of the standalone restaurant by citing its vacancy since July 2024 and its continued unviability, leading to its closure.
On October 20, Mark Andrews, Solihull Council’s head of planning, design, and engagement services, granted planning permission for the expansion, subject to certain conditions.