THE developers behind the £8 million Premier Inn planned for Cleethorpes hope to submit a planning application by the end of the month.
The news has delighted residents who are eager to see the vast plot of land at the Meridian Point development site in Kings Road built on.
And if the application gets moving, developers are hopeful it could be built in time for the greatly-anticipated Britain In Bloom awards ceremony to be held in October next year, which will bring 500 delegates from across the country into the resort.
As reported, Cleethorpes In Bloom missed out on hosting the awards last year because there was a lack of "adequate accommodation" for the judges and competitors from other towns to stay in.
A spokesman for Premier Inn, which is owned by Whitbread, the UK's largest hotel company, said: "The Cleethorpes Premier Inn is still in legals and we are hoping to exchange legal contracts by the end of the month.
"A planning application for the scheme is expected to follow very quickly after that."
Some bed and breakfast owners in Cleethorpes have welcomed the 84 bedroom hotel, believing if there is more accommodation there it will attract more people to the resort, which can only benefit them.
Chairman of Cleethorpes In Bloom and owner of the Adelaide Guest House, in Isaac's Hill, Bob Callison, believes the arrival of the Premier Inn will bring three-tier accommodation – high-end, budget and lower-end – which will force out the under-performing hotels.
But he is not hopeful it will be built in time for Britain In Bloom, and as a result, the committee has lined up plans with other hotels such as the Humber Royal, in Little Coates Road, Grimsby and the Oaklands in Barton Street, Laceby.
Mr Callison said: "If the application is approved it will be a good thing, but there is no way on God's Earth it will be ready for next year, in my opinion.
"I understand other hotels are worried, but I don't know one seaside town that just has one hotel.
"It will mean we have the more expensive, budget and lower priced hotels available. It will force some of the ropier ones out.
"The good hotels will survive and the poorer ones won't."
As reported, the owner of the Kingsway Hotel is worried about the budget hotel chain coming to the resort, as are the owners of Clee House Hotel and Bistro, and the smaller bed and breakfasts along Isaac's Hill and Clee Road.
Developer Maltgrave Developments has been keen to build a hotel on the land since 1999 but has not been able to take the plans forward until now because of the fragile market.
If given the go-ahead, building work will start in February. It will be completed in two phases – the first will see 60 bedrooms and a Brewers Fayre restaurant with bar being built and the second will be an extension with a further 24 bedrooms.
Keep reading your Grimsby Telegraph for updates.
