Demolition of Beefeater restaurant at Stirling Premier Inn proposed

Plans suggest the new restaurant space would be smaller, with bedrooms prioritised.

By Alex Watson

March 6 2025, 1:34pm

The restaurant has been shut for close to a year. Image: Google Street View

A major refurbishment could be on the cards for a Stirling city centre hotel.

Premier Inn Hotels Limited has applied for permission to demolish the Beefeater restaurant at its hotel on Forthside Way and build additional guest accommodation.

The eatery closed its doors in July 2024.

Detailed plans submitted with the application show designs for a new restaurant and bedroom block on the Beefeater site, with 35 rooms.

The company is also proposing a further extension to the hotel, with 80 bedrooms.

A look at the design for the proposed new hotel restaurant. Image: LMA Architects/Stirling Council

If approved by Stirling Council, these additions to the existing building would be spread across three storeys.

Premier Inn says it would also increase the number of parking spaces at the hotel, bringing the total up to 100.

The Beefeater restaurant is next door to Premier Inn on Forthside Way. Image: Google Street View

The proposed plans suggest the new restaurant would be smaller than the former Beefeater premises, with space for 81 covers.

Rooms attached to the restaurant and currently used for food and drink storage, as well as a staff area, would be demolished.

The planning permission application was received by Stirling Council on February 7, but not validated until March 5.

Forthside area undergoing major changes

The Forthside Way hotel is one of two Premier Inns in the Stirling area. The second is located to the south of the city at Whins Of Milton, close to the Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre.

The Forthside area of Stirling is currently undergoing a period of development, with plans underway for Scotland’s biggest film studio campus, Stirling Studios, as well as new housing, spaces for businesses, a public square, green spaces and the associated infrastructure.

The exterior of the proposed hotel extension. Image: LMA Architects/Stirling Council

A total of 300 new homes are planned – a mixture of flats and townhouses are planned across two residential sites.

However, the owner of Toast cafe, also located on Forthside Way, recently told The Courier that she fears for the future of her business as a result of the Forthside masterplan.

At the time, Stirling Council said: “The design of the project has not yet been finalised and the council is still considering a number of options, informed by the feedback and suggestions from local stakeholders.”