Hotel applies to replace restaurant with more rooms

The expansion could see the number of rooms at the hotel nearly double

A hotel chain has applied to demolish a restaurant at one of its sites in Cambridge to make way for an expansion that could see the number of rooms nearly double.

Premier Inn has submitted a planning application to knock down the Beefeater restaurant in Huntingdon Road.

The plans include converting three rooms into a new restaurant.

The company said it was seeing "considerable demand" by people looking to stay in the city, whereas the restaurant was seeing a "shortfall".

The application submitted to Cambridge City Council says "a considerable demand for additional hotel accommodation" had been identified.

It adds: "The applicant therefore seeks to reconfigure the hotel bedroom and restaurant offer on the site to ensure its success and future viability."

If approved, the Cambridge North Girton Premier Inn could expand from 36 rooms to 61, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The application says the Local Plan recognises the importance of the tourism industry, with a requirement of 1,500 additional hotel rooms by 2031.

The extension would be set back from Huntingdon Road and be designed to complement the surrounding buildings, the application says.