A NEW hotel is slowly taking shape in Swindon's town centre.

Premier Inn is building its first ever all-electric hotel opposite The Savoy pub on Regent Street.

Work began on the £17 million structure in March 2022 and this new photo shows how construction is progressing nine months on.

Most of the five-storey 195-bedroom hotel, built on the derelict Aspen House site which used to be council offices, is covered in scaffolding.

Construction was expected to take 18-20 months, meaning an estimated completion date of between September and November 2023.

When finished, it will not have a connection to a natural gas supply.

Instead, the hotel will be fully heated and powered by grid energy generated from renewable sources and by on-site photovoltaic (PV) cells. 

Whitbread has highlighted the importance of removing natural gas from its estate in achieving its target of net zero emissions by 2040. 

UK development director Alex Flach said: "If we are to achieve our target of becoming a net-zero business by 2040 we need to find a replacement for natural gas across our estate.

"This is a considerable challenge as we rely on natural gas to heat water in our network of hotels and power many of our restaurant kitchens across the country.

"It is a bold and necessary proof of concept which has the potential to inform the specification of our newbuild hotels."

Swindon Advertiser: What the new Swindon town centre Premier Inn will look like when finished.What the new Swindon town centre Premier Inn will look like when finished. (Image: Swindon Borough Council)