PLANS to redevelop a disused site in Winnersh into a hotel, restaurant and drive-thru coffee shop, creating 90 new jobs, have been unveiled.
Whitbread, the parent company to Premier Inn and Costa Coffee, has launched plans to redevelop the vacant Oakdene Court site off Reading Road in Winnersh into a new 102-bedroom Premier Inn hotel, 190-cover Beefeater restaurant and Costa Coffee drive-thru. The company is planning to invest more than £8 million in the new development which is expected to create approximately 90 new jobs on opening.
Whitbread is seeking planning permission to demolish the vacant Oakdene Court, which was home to British Biotech Services but has been vacant since 2012, and replace it with a single new purpose-built hotel, restaurant and drive-thru as well as on-site car parking spaces and enhanced landscaping.
Stuart Rose, Acquisition Manager for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, who is leading the planning of the proposed development, said: “The site at 613 Reading Road is well positioned for a new hotel and leisure development. It benefits from excellent transport connections and is very accessible for existing businesses in the Winnersh Triangle Business Park. Our plans will provide these businesses with a top-quality new leisure facility as well as creating a significant number of new jobs.
“Our plans have been designed to take account of the geography of the site. The new development will be set further back from Reading Road compared to the existing building and will have a smaller footprint. The Beefeater and Costa Coffee will provide an active and attractive frontage at ground level and the Premier Inn bedrooms have been raised to reduce the risk of flooding.”
Oakdene Court is close to a number of major road connections including the A329(M) to the north of Winnersh Triangle Business Park, the B3270 to the south of the site and Junction 10 of the M4 is to the east of Winnersh. The proposed development is not expected to generate any additional traffic as the majority of potential customers will already be travelling on the road network.
Stuart added “Our next step is to engage local residents and businesses on the proposals ahead of submitting a planning application in the coming months. If planning permission is granted, we will ensure the final development is built to a very high standard and is managed proactively and effectively.”
