Developers have submitted a bid to build a new £10 million Premier Inn hotel in Pitlochry following months of negotiations with council officers and residents.
The 105-bedroom, three-storey building, with restaurant and outside seating area, is expected to create 35 jobs in the community and could provide a £1.6 million boost to the local economy in tourist spending.
The hotel would be positioned on land near Bridge Road which was previously earmarked for a supermarket in accordance with the Local Development Plan.
Riverstone Developments, which submitted the application, hopes construction will commence before the end of 2020 and the hotel will be open for trade in early 2022.
Premier Inn has been in consultation with Perth and Kinross Council and locals for around 15 months in an effort to secure support for the project before submitting the plans to the local authority.
John Rumsey, development director at Riverstone, said: “This is an exciting project for Pitlochry, particularly given the site has laid dormant for several years due to the lack of any supermarket operator for the current consented scheme.”
Nick Johnston, acquisitions manager for Premier Inn Scotland, said he was confident the hotel would be a “positive addition” to Pitlochry, bringing long term benefits to the town.
Mr Johnston said: “We’re excited about bringing a new Premier Inn hotel to Bridge Road in Pitlochry.
“We received a very positive response from the community when we exhibited our plans in November last year and I’m pleased the application is now with the council for consideration.
“Premier Inn hotels in market towns like Pitlochry do very well.
“They attract business and leisure guests throughout the year and as Premier Inn offers a light touch style of hotel accommodation, we find that many of our guests eat and drink out when they stay with us, supporting established businesses and contributing to the local economy.”
The acquisitions manager said recruiters would focus on the local and surrounding area and would actively look at getting people back into work.
Mr Johnston said: “We offer flexible shifts and industry leading training and development programmes to our teams.
“As a company we are especially keen on attracting people who are currently out of work, employment or training back into work and have an excellent track record of doing so.”
