THREE MAJOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ARE SET TO GO AHEAD TRAVELODGE PLANS TO BUILD BUDGET HOTEL

BY HSIN-YI LO

A LEADING budget chain has confirmed plans to open several new hotels across East Sussex, including in Bexhill, as its rapid expansion plans continue.

Travelodge, one of the UK’s largest hotel brands, which operates nearly 600 hotels, is writing to 220 Local Authorities across Britain, including five local councils in East Sussex, to propose a joint development partnership that can act as a catalyst to stimulate regeneration and facilitate further growth.

Travelodge already operates five hotels across East Sussex and plans to double its hotel portfolio in the county with a further six hotels.

THREE large homes developments have been given the green light for Bexhill after a recent planning committee meeting.

Rother District Council’s planning committee approved the three applications after plenty of debate the seven-hour meeting.

The applications were submitted by Gladman Developments Limited and could lead to nearly 500 homes being constructed on the northern edge of the seaside town.

The largest of the three proposed developments would be situated at the Kiteye Farm site in Ninfield Road, where up to 250 homes are planned. In addition, there are likely to be 130 homes at

Mayo Lane plus 80 more in Watermill Lane. However, the developments have by no means been met with universal approval by local residents, with concerns raised over loss of green space and whether the existing infrastructure will be able to cope.

At present approval was granted on the proviso that further applications will be required or exact details of the plans will be required before actual construction on the homes can commence. With demand for more homes in Bexhill reaching unprecedented levels, it is patently clear that new homes are required in the town which no doubt led to the decision to give the schemes the go-ahead.

The locations and the councils which have been approached are Bexhill (Rother District Council); Brighton (Brighton and Hove City Council); Hove (Brighton and Hove City Council); Eastbourne (Eastbourne Borough Council); Lewes (Lewes District Council); Hastings (Hastings Borough Council).

A letter sent to the five Local Authorities across East Sussex outlines the pivotal role that Travelodge has been playing for the last ten years in supporting Local Authorities in England, Wales and Scotland by being a key player in their local regeneration & growth programmes; creating jobs within the local community and helping parents return to work while attracting new visitors to the area and boosting the local economy. At the same time the company would provide a solid long-term income stream for the Local Authority concerned.

Travelodge is planning to expand its UK hotel network with a further 300 target locations for new hotels across the UK, and is offering Local Authorities the opportunity to have one or multiple hotels within their region to support their regeneration programmes.

For more than 120 towns, it will provide an opportunity to have its first branded hotel — which could revolutionise its local economy.

The expansion programme could represent an investment of around £3 billion for third party investors and create more than 9,000 new jobs across the UK.

Steve Bennett, Travelodge chief property and development officer said: “In the current climate, Local Authorities are under extreme pressure to invest in their economy and support regeneration projects.

“This is why we have written to five Local Authorities across East Sussex to offer our support as we have a requirement to double our East Sussex portfolio with a further six Travelodge hotels across the region.

“Our target locations include Bexhill, Brighton and Eastbourne. This expansion programme could represent a multi-million investment for third party investors and create 150 new jobs.

“In addition, our research shows that, on average, Travelodge customers will spend at least double their room rate with local businesses during their stay; this can be an annual, multi-million pound boost into each local economy.”