Thistle awaits Aston verd
Thistle and Mount Charlotte Hotels has applied to build a 140-bedroom Thistle property at Aston in South Yorkshire.
It is the third time the company has sought permission to build on the site, located near junction 31 of the M1 motorway, near Sheffield and Rotherham.
The two previous applications, lodged in 1988 and 1989, were turned down because the site is on green belt land, but this time Rotherham District Council is supporting the application because of the economic advantages it would bring to the area. The Department of the Environment is considering whether to allow the plan to go ahead.
"This site is attractive because we have a property at junction 24 of the M1 and then no other properties until Leeds. We need to be represented in the Sheffield/Rotherham area and this is the only location where we feel it will work," Ken Arkley, development director, told Caterer.
"There is no great difference in our plans from 1988 - to build a four-star, country-house style hotel - but time has moved on and Rotherham is now enthusiastic about the plan," he added.
A decision from the DoE is expected within three weeks. If it grants planning permission, Mr Arkley predicted the hotel would open within two-and-a-half years. About £10m would be put into the development, he added.
