PREMIER INN BOOKS INTO ST. MODWEN’S £70 MILLION LONGBRIDGE TOWN CENTRE
Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants is set to open a 75-bedroom Premier Inn hotel and Beefeater Grill at St. Modwen’s £70 million Longbridge Town Centre regeneration scheme.
The leading hotel chain is one of the first in a number of high profile occupiers to sign up to the town centre redevelopment which is set to be a thriving commercial, leisure and retail destination.
The hotel and restaurant will create approximately 60 new jobs on opening, with the regeneration scheme expected to generate more than 1,000 jobs in total.
Anchored by an 85,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s, Longbridge Town Centre will also feature 24-shops and restaurants, offices and car parking, all of which are scheduled for completion in 2013.
St. Modwen development surveyor Mark Watkins said: “Premier Inn’s commitment to Longbridge demonstrates the diverse mix of occupiers that this new town centre is attracting. The award winning hotel brand and well-established Beefeater restaurant are both household names and will play a major role in providing a place for those doing business, living or visiting Longbridge to dine, drink and stay as well as creating jobs for local people.”
John Bates, Head of Acquisitions in the UK and Ireland for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, said: “Premier Inn is expanding across the UK as we respond to high customer demand for our great quality, good value product. We are adding new sites nearly every week as we grow our business from 47,000 Premier Inn bedrooms currently to 65,000 by 2016. That is a big target, but it is one we are on track to deliver.
“Our plans for a new 75-bedroom Premier Inn and Beefeater Grill in Longbridge town centre adds another excellent location for our customers in the heart of one of UK’s largest regeneration schemes. Our hotel will draw people into Longbridge town centre, helping to make it a lively and attractive place to visit, and supporting the local economy by creating jobs and attracting trade for local businesses. These are real positives for the area, and I look forward to progressing the hotel from planning to the construction and delivery phase.”
Central to the Longbridge town centre scheme will be the two acre Austin Park which will lead to the opening up of the River Rea for the first time in 100 years. The development will also create new access roads and improvements to the local road network.
Mike Murray, senior development surveyor at St. Modwen, said the development of Longbridge town centre was a key part in the £1 billion regeneration scheme of the former MG Rover site:
“With Sainsbury’s and Premier Inn now signed up and many discussions taking place with other national and local retailers and occupiers, Longbridge is set to be a major commercial, leisure and retail destination that will transform the area.”
The opening of the town centre will bring investment at Longbridge up to £250 million since St. Modwen’s acquisition of the site 2003. This investment has already created 1,160 permanent jobs at Longbridge through the development of the Technology Park, Cofton Centre and the £66 million new Bournville College, which opened in September 2011. The first 113 new homes are already being delivered at Longbridge in partnership with the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
The regeneration of Longbridge is a £1 billion project covering 468 acres. It aspires to create 10,000 jobs through a diverse range of industries, together with 2,000 new homes, the new town centre, parks and public open spaces.
