A MERIDEN hotel could expand by 30 bedrooms if proposals from its owner are agreed by Solihull Council.
Strawberry Bank Hotel in Main Road currently has 55 bedrooms, but Coventry-based owner Westbourne Leisure has submitted plans to build a new block of 30 rooms on site.
The new hotel space would create a new 1.5 storey accommodation block, according to planning agents Claremont, who said: “This will contribute towards the hotel’s attraction as location for events, including parties and weddings where there is demand for accommodation to be provided alongside these events, which are often sold as comprehensive packages.
“The development will help in making the business resilient to the changing requirements of leisure and hotel accommodation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic requirements.”
The agents added: “It is not considered that the level of additional guest accommodation proposed, at 30 bedrooms will generate a level of traffic that will affect the capacity of the local highway network or cause congestion within the village of Meriden.”
Westbourne Leisure said its expansion plans would help to bring in ‘another source of income’ for the group.
It owns other venues such as the Birmingham Irish Centre and a Coleshill pub.
Set up in the 1970s by Pat and Mary Owens, accounts filed last year show Westbourne saw increased turnover from £18.7m to £20.4m, as its pre-tax profit dropped by £1.1m to £3.1m.
