Green light for Nottingham's Guildhall multimillion-pound hotel development

The go-ahead for a multimillion-pound hotel development of Nottingham's Guildhall has been hailed as a "significant milestone" for the city as a tourist destination and will create 250 jobs.

The planning application for a 162-bedroom, four-star hotel, which was submitted to Nottingham City Council by a joint venture between Locksley Hotels and hotel group Ascena, was approved on Wednesday. The plans include include a rooftop fine dining restaurant, spa and wedding and conference facilities.

John Wilby, project lead for Ascena, said: "After it has sat vacant for the best part of a decade, we're pleased to have hit this significant milestone in breathing new life into it. The development will not only bring jobs to the area but will also help elevate the city as a tourist destination."

Jack Turton, director of Ascena, which operates a number of luxury hotel and restaurant facilities around the UK, said they had been working closely with heritage and townscape consultant Turley and Historic England to ensure that the iconic building be "brought back to its former glory".

Councillor David Mellen, leader of Nottingham City Council, said: "I'm very pleased that these exciting proposals to turn Nottingham's Guildhall into a high-quality hotel have been given the go-ahead.

"It's something we have been keen to happen for a long time and our planning officers have worked with the developers to help them shape a development which respects the history of this grand old building and bring it back into use."

The Guildhall building itself will house the hotel following a restoration of the Grade II-listed building and Fire Station House, while more modern extensions at the back of the building will be demolished and rebuilt.