Plans look to bring £5m 54-bed hotel to Gosport high street

Landowner Maritime Capital wants to put the budget hotel plus a residential block where a disused office block currently stands.

The £5m hotel is expected to bring in an additional £895,000 a year to the local economy and would create approximately 10 jobs.

The residential block will have nine properties and associated parking.

Plans for the project are yet to be submitted to Gosport Borough Council and a hotel company has not been chosen.

Leader of the council Mark Hook has welcomed the project idea. He said: ‘In principal, this is a very good scheme.

‘It will change the face of the high street. Having looked at the design it will certainly change the facade of the building.

‘The hotel will certainly add to the night-time economy and help businesses like restaurants and bars. It will also give the high street future security with more people using it.

‘It shows companies have confidence in coming to Gosport.’

But Cllr Hook said he is concerned about the lack of parking spaces within the proposal. There will be 35 spaces, 28 of which are allocated to the hotel. The others are for the residential block.

‘The problem with the scheme is the small amount of car parking that is on offer,’ he said.

Councillor Stephen Philpott, chairman of the economic development board, also welcomed the bid. But he too was concerned about the parking.

He said: ‘I am fully on board with this scheme and it is exciting.

‘It shows the council is doing the right thing in our plans for the town centre and that we’re moving in the right direction. I welcome any investment to the town centre, especially a hotel which I think is needed.

‘However if there is one thing the developers need to look at before submitting their application, it is parking.’

Design company Turley is helping with the development of the hotel.

Senior consultant Andrea Kellegher said: ‘The current site isn’t really doing much or making any money. It is a brownfield site which we are redeveloping and expanding on rather than taking over green space.

‘The landowner has been thinking about different developments and this seemed to be the best idea for the needs of Gosport. There is a demand for it.’

Andrea added the location of the site was ideal for visitors to Gosport and those who might want to catch a ferry to and from Portsmouth.

She said: ‘Portsmouth is a destination area where Gosport would not be considered as one.

‘This hotel is for the community as well as for visitors and is an ideal location for all the big water events that happen in the area.’

As previously reported in The News leader of Portsmouth City CouncilDonna Jones wants to bring a luxury hotel to the city centre area of Portsmouth.

Comments on the plans can be made to Turley until July 11. Email [email protected]