Holiday Inn Express planned for Portishead

PROPOSALS to build a four-storey hotel in Portishead have sparked mixed reactions from members of the community.

Holiday Inn Express has submitted a planning application to construct a 106-bedroom hotel on land at the junction of Harbour Road and Newfoundland Way, on the edge of the marina.

In their operational statement, the hotel chain says it has identified a need in the area to provide quality, affordable short stay accommodation for business and leisure visitors.

The move has been welcomed by many residents, who say the hotel will promote tourism and help boost the town’s economy, however the lack of parking spaces on the plans has triggered an angry response from some.

Both developers and planners have already been criticised for the lack of parking spaces provided on the Port Marine development where on-street parking causes chaos and raises concerns about emergency vehicle access.

At the November meeting of Portishead Town Council’s planning committee, the application for the new hotel was given the thumbs up, but councillors recorded that a higher quality design would be desirable and questioned the number of parking spaces proposed.

Andy Martin who lives at Port Marine said: “A hotel will be good for Portishead because we don’t have a proper hotel but I don’t think the company has done its sums right. With 106 bedrooms proposed I would expect more than 77 parking spaces, as on-street parking on the busy Harbour Road already poses a danger to motorists and pedestrians.”

Councillor David Pasley, chairman of North Somerset Council planning committee said: “When planning applications are considered, the proposed parking facilities are looked at very carefully and this application will be no exception. We are very much aware of the problems caused by on-street parking in Harbour Road.”

Holiday Inn Express declined to comment on the proposals.