Green light for new hotel on Southwold Pier

Holidaymakers coming to one of the east coast's most popular seaside towns will soon be able to stay at a top attraction now that plans for a hotel on Southwold pier have been given the go-ahead.

Proposals to build a 30-bedroom, five-storey hotel in place of the existing pavilion were backed by Waveney District Council's development control committee on Wednesday night.

It is hoped that the new hotel will provide owners Stephen and Antonia Bournes with the opportunity to boost the local tourism industry and attract visitors all year round.

Mr Bournes told the council's development control committee that the new hotel will create six full-time and six part-time jobs, in addition to the large number of staff he already employs, which tops about 95 in the height of summer.

He said that some of the small bed and breakfast hotels in the resort had recently closed, with the loss of about 30 beds for visitors. 'We are iconic within the tourism business and tourism is a major industry in Suffolk,' he said.

The new hotel, which will take about 14 months to build, will be open all-year round and a multi-purpose room will be built on the pier behind the hotel to replace the old function room.

A number of locals and Southwold Town Council raised concerns over the availability of car parking, but Mr Bournes said he would be encouraging hotel guests to use public transport when possible and would be focusing on week-long stays so as not to worsen the congestion caused by the large number of day visitors to the town in the summer.

Councillor Paul Ashdown said: 'Southwold is a unique place and I think this development will enhance that. It will make this building up-to-date and add accommodation which we are losing at this moment in time.'

The committee approved the plans with conditions including that the Environment Agency's flood risk recommendations will be followed and that a construction management plan and green transport plan will be produced.