Plans released for a new Premier Inn at St Ives
Whitbread wants to build the 100-bed hotel on the site of Trewidden Care Home
Last updated 27th Sep 2022
A public exhibition will be held next month on plans for a 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel in St Ives.
Parent company, Whitbread, wants to build on the site of Trewidden Care Home, next to the Trenwith Car Park.
Bosses say if approved, over £10 million will be invested in the construction of the proposed hotel and, on opening, 30 new permanent jobs will be created in a variety of roles.
It is also estimated that guests of the St Ives Premier Inn would spend around £2.5 million per year in the local economy – £1.2 million of which is expected to be spent during off-peak season.
Whitbread says the hotel would have several sustainable design features, including a 'living roof' to collect rainwater. It would be clad with copper as a nod to mining at Wheal Trenwith which operated close to the site.
A planning application is anticipated to be submitted to Cornwall Council before Christmas 2022.
Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager at Whitbread, said: "This Premier Inn hotel would provide an affordable destination for leisure and business travellers in St Ives throughout the year. We would be bringing a different style of accommodation to the town than is currently available and create permanent employment".
She continued: "As many of our guests go out to eat and drink locally when staying with us, the proposed hotel would also make a significant contribution to the local economy year-round.
“Like so many visitors to Cornwall, I have long enjoyed staying in St Ives. It's a special place for me and so many others and we have taken a good deal of time to design a hotel that is fitting for the town and would bring many long-term benefits to St Ives".
What happens to Trenwith Care Home?
The Trewidden Care home site already has planning permission for a 39-bedroom apart hotel that was granted in 2016 and would occupy a large portion of the site if built.
The York Hotel operated from the building until the 1980s and, if approved, Premier Inn's plans would bring the site back to this original use through the development of a new hotel building.
Trewidden Care Home is made up of 39 beds and the current residents of the home, their families and the on-site care team have been informed of the plans to redevelop the site by Cornwallis Care Services, which operates the home.
The care home will continue to operate during the planning of the proposed new hotel. If planning permission is granted, the intention is to offer the residents of the Trewidden Care Home the opportunity to transfer to a new residential care home that is currently being constructed in Penzance and is due to complete this autumn.
How can I have my say on the plans?
As Premier Inn works up its plans, two public consultation events and an online webinar are taking place in St Ives during October for people from the local community to view the plans in detail, ask questions to Premier Inn and its development team and give feedback.
The in-person events will take place on:
• Tuesday 11th October, 2pm to 7.30pm, St Ives Leisure Centre, Trenwith Burrows, TR26 1HB.
• Wednesday 12th October, 10am to 3pm, Greta Williams Room at St Ives Library, Gabriel Street, TR26 2LX.
The online webinar will also be held on Tuesday 18th October, from 6pm until 7.30pm where the development team will be on hand to describe the proposed design and discuss the operations of the new hotel.
You can register for the webinar on Premier Inn's website. A recording of the webinar, as well as materials from the in-person consultations, will also be available on the site following the events.