Jobs boost in £4.5m complex for Hagley Road

Apr 11 2007 By Jon Griffin, Birmingham Mail

BIRMINGHAM'S Hagley Road district is to undergo a major £4.5 million facelift - with a new hotel and restaurant creating dozens of jobs.

Landowners Calthorpe Estates announced today that detailed planning permission has been granted for a multi-million pound scheme to regenerate one of the key gateways of the city.

The plans involve the creation of a 62-bedroom Premier Travel Inn and a 6,000 sq ft Beefeater restaurant on the Hagley Road.

The hotel and restaurant are being developed by pub group Whitbread on the site of the former Duck Inn, next door to TGI Fridays.

The building plans will generate around 70 new jobs. Multibuild have been appointed construction contractors and building work will start next month, with a scheduled completion date of January 2008.

David Penniston, UK Development Director for Whitbread, said: "Hagley Road is a prime location and offers an ideal site for us.

"It's a key part of our expansion programme which will see this 62-bedroom hotel form part of the 3,000 rooms we plan on opening this financial year.

"The addition of a Premier Travel Inn and Beefeater restaurant will be a huge boost for the area and will complement the wide variety of first-class services already situated within Edgbaston."

David Povall, Commercial Director of Calthorpe Estates, said: "The plans for the new hotel and restaurant support our vision for an enhanced Hagley Road.

"The development will offer quality services, filling a gap in the market, and will help to regenerate an important Birmingham gateway.

"The fact that Premier Travel Inn, one of the UK's biggest hotel chains, has chosen to operate in Edgbaston is testament to the appeal of the area to major national companies."