A NEW Premier Inn and steakhouse will be built in Regent Street as part of a town centre development that will cost £17 million.

A new eight storey, 194-bedroom hotel with a Bar+Block steakhouse restaurant at ground floor level and 42 car parking spaces will be constructed opposite The Savoy pub.

Government guidelines on social distancing will be adhered to throughout construction.

Cabinet member for the town centre Coun Dale Heenan, said: “I'm delighted that the green light has been given. This is a very difficult time for businesses at the moment, but developments like this can still go ahead when it’s safe to do so.

"Swindon is a thriving place for businesses. Being just 45 minutes from London means we have high hotel occupancy rates during the week. Industry reports show that in 2019 we were the 35th most in demand place in the country. Oxford was at 28th and Bristol 6th.

“When I became the cabinet member responsible 18 months ago, a new approach to this site was needed because it had been empty for six years, and a derelict building for a decade before that.

"The new Hampton by Hilton hotel near the train station, has been under construction for nearly a year, and everyone should be welcoming Whitbread PLC investing £17m of their money in a new Premier Inn and steakhouse. In another 18 months, people should see the difference.

“Regeneration takes time and, slowly but surely, the jigsaw pieces to transform our town for the better are coming together.”

Borough council planning officers gave the new development the go-ahead yesterday after agreeing the sale of the site to hospitality giant Whitbread in November 2019.

The pub will be built on the former site of the council offices Aspen House which were built in the 1970s and demolished in 2014. The area has been covered by hoardings for many months.

The hotel chain expects that around 45 full-time employment jobs will be created when the new one opens.

There are already three other Premier Inns elsewhere in Swindon - near Junction 16 of the M4, in Kembrey Business Park, and near the A419 in Blunsdon.

A spokesman for the hotelier said: “We’re very excited to be bringing a latest-format hotel to Swindon town centre, and to breathe new life into this prime site at the heart of the town.

“This investment will play a pivotal part in Swindon’s regeneration plans and our new hotel and restaurant will both create new local jobs and be a fantastic addition to the accommodation options available in the town for visitors.”

The chain hopes to be onsite by the summer and have the hotel open in 2021.