A TOWN centre hotel is looking to expand following more than a decade of strong business.

The owners of the Holiday Inn Express, on Bridge Street, have submitted a planning application to expand into an unused part of the building.

The 134-room hotel, opened in 2003, is five storeys and built on a podium structure, which is currently largely unoccupied.

If the plans get given permission, the current hotel will expand by 27 rooms and a new budget hotel, with 73 rooms, will be located on the first floor of the podium.

On top of that there will be a new café and gym as the hotel reorganises to make it more welcoming.

A planning report says: “This scheme proposes the introduction of new intermediate floors between the ground/first and first/second floors.

“These include an extra 27 rooms for the Holiday Inn Express on the second floor and a further 73 rooms for a new budget hotel on the first and mezzanine floors, enlarged front and back of house areas as well as a new gym, coffee shop, additional parking and hotel entrances at the ground floor level.

“It relocates the main hotel lounge, dining and bar facilities from the second floor to a more user-friendly and convenient location on the new upper ground floor served by a ‘grand’ entrance stairway from the street.”

As well as providing a boost for the hotel, and the possibility of new jobs, it is hoped the alterations could help to boost a part of the town centre which has become run-down.

“The hotel is a busy and flourishing venture and there is demand for more accommodation of this type at the location,” said the report.

“The proposed retail space at the lower ground floor of the also marries well with the desire to create high quality new retail units in the immediate vicinity, with their active frontages helping to regenerate the daytime and evening economy in Bridge Street and Fleet Street.

“Overall, the proposals for the redevelopment of the hotel both enhance and reinforce the aims of the Town Centre Masterplan – to revitalise the town centre and promote economic growth by high quality development and first class public realm additions.”

News of the investment follows on from news last week that due to high demand for units, the Brunel Centre was looking to expand its food court project, called The Crossing, onto Canal Street.

“A lot of major cities have undergone major redevelopment in recent years,” said Bernard Ferris, the Head of Retail Property at FI.

“But when you look at it this has been mostly leisure led. What The Crossing will do is provide a daytime and night-time restaurant offer which we think will boost the whole of Swindon.

“There are empty units in the town so bringing in an alternative leisure option gives people a reason to come into the town.

“It will make Swindon’s night-time economy far more attractive.”