Whitbread says it remains committed to bringing a Premier Inn hotel to St Ives, despite Cornwall Council refusing planning permission yesterday.
Despite recommendation from planning officers, ten members of the West Cornwall Sub-area Planning Committee rejected the controversial plans, while one abstained.
Critics to the scheme celebrated the outcome of the “David against Goliath” battle, which would have seen the demolition of the Cornwallis Care Home. Mayor of St Ives, Johnnie Wells said such a scheme wasn’t needed and would have been “a massive eyesore on the landscape”.
Whitbread, the owner of the Premier Inn chain, expressed its disappointment at the news, but said it remained committed to opening a hotel in St Ives.
Property acquisitions manager, Louise Woodruff, said: “We are, of course, very disappointed that our proposals have been turned down by the committee. We significantly revised the design of the scheme in response to feedback from the local community and the planning team at Cornwall Council and we were encouraged by the planning officers’ report which recommended approval.
“We remain very much committed to bringing Premier Inn to St Ives and believe a new Premier Inn hotel will create long-term benefits to the town, including year-round jobs and more than £2 million of additional visitor spend each year. We will now take some time to consider our next steps.”
