NEW PREMIER INN
Hotel set to bring ‘Premier’
facilities to town
ork is commencing well on
a 60-room hotel and
restaurant project set to
open in Leek soon.
The
flagship
project
spearheading
the
wider
regeneration of the town centre
at the former Talbot Inn, at the
bottom of Derby Street, is being
converted by Whitbread into a
Premier Inn which is due to
open in March. This key
development will complement
and enhance the Nicholson War
Memorial and public open space
as well as improving the eastern
approach to the town centre.
The development is being
delivered via a partnership of
Staffordshire Moorlands District
Council, Staffordshire County
Council
and
Whitbread.
Representatives of the partners
visited the site as work got
underway last year to see the
W
progress being made.
Councillor Sybil Ralphs,
Leader of the District Council,
said: “These are exciting times
for Leek. This development, in
this prime location, is the
catalyst
for
the
wider
regeneration of the town centre
as set out in our Masterplan, so
it’s wonderful to see work now
well underway. Whilst it heralds
the start of more investment and
improvement, which is very
welcome, I’m also pleased that it
respects the town’s built heritage
by retaining the historic Talbot
Inn frontage.
“That residents and visitors
will be able to enjoy these new
hotel and restaurant facilities
soon is great news and I’d like to
thank all the partners involved
for their commitment to Leek
and to the Moorlands.”
The District and County
Councillor Mark Winnington, Councillor Sybil Ralphs
and Nick Johnston at the Premier Inn site
16 Leek Life January/February 2014
Councils
have
agreed
a
pioneering District Deal – the
first in Staffordshire. The
Premier Inn investment is just
one of the projects being
delivered as part of the Deal.
County Councillor Mark
Winnington, cabinet member
for economy and infrastructure,
said: “Improvements to roads
and infrastructure is key to
delivering the bold growth plans
of Leek and we are delighted to
be working with our partners to
bring the Premier Inn to town.”
Nick Johnston, Acquisitions
Manager for Whitbread Hotels
and Restaurants, Premier Inn’s
parent company, said: “Premier
Inn is the UK’s largest and most
successful hotel brand. We have
more than 53,000 bedrooms
across 660 UK hotels and we are
expanding on the back of
extremely
high
customer
demand. We are so successful as
we give our customers exactly
what they want - consistently
high-standard, affordable hotel
accommodation in the very best
locations. Leek adds another
excellent site to our existing
network and we are expecting
the hotel to be very popular. We
can’t wait to open, create new
jobs and become part of the local
business community.”
Premier Inn Leek is expected
to create 30 new jobs, in a
variety of roles. Recruitment for
the
new
positions
will
commence
shortly
and
Whitbread has a corporate
target for 50% of the new roles at
hotel and restaurant sites to be
taken by those people in longterm un [\