Premier Inn appeals against St Ives hotel refusal

Premier Inn Ltd said it has submitted an appeal after plans for a hotel in St Ives were turned down

A national hotel chain has submitted an appeal after its plans for a hotel in a Cornish town were refused.

Premier Inn Ltd is appealing against Cornwall Council's decision to turn down plans for a 90-bedroom hotel in St Ives.

The hotel chain said the appeal was made to the planning inspectorate and has requested for it to be heard via a local public inquiry.

The planning application, made by Whitbread, was presented to the council's west Cornwall planning committee on 29 April with a recommendation for planning approval.

Ten members of the committee rejected the plans, while one abstained.

At the time, Johnnie Wells, mayor of St Ives, said it was "absolutely fantastic" the plans had been rejected as the hotel would be a "massive eyesore on the landscape".

Louise Woodruff, property acquisitions manager at Whitbread, said the company was "hopeful" its appeal would be successful, as the hotel would "increase choice for visitors, generate year-round jobs and help the popular destination to prosper all year-round".

"We await the next steps from the planning inspectorate," she said.

The appeal documents said the hotel on Trewidden Road would contribute £2.2m in visitor expenditure per year to the St Ives economy.