120-room hotel boost for city

Bosses at hotel chain De Vere want to create a 120-room Village Urban Resort at Crewe Toll Roundabout in North Edinburgh, creating 130 jobs.

They said proposals for the £20 million hotel were submitted to city planning leaders last week and claimed they had been backed by the overwhelming majority of local residents.

Robert Cook, chief executive of De Vere Village Urban Resorts, said: “We are delighted to see that our plans have received such positive feedback.

“Edinburgh is a high-priority location for us and we are very excited to be bringing our flagship Village Urban Resort concept to Scotland’s capital city.”

De Vere’s hotel complex – which will be built on the site of an empty office building – will boast a Velocity health and fitness centre with state-of-the art gym equipment, as well as cardio, resistance training and studio classes. Other features include a 20-metre swimming pool with whirlpool spa, sauna and steam room. New conference facilities, a restaurant and bar, and a Starbucks coffee house will also be opened.

De Vere bosses said that in a recent public consultation, 84 per cent of respondents fully backed the project, with a further 13 per cent supporting it in part. Residents living close to the development, who will be able to use its facilities, have expressed enthusiasm.

Helen Mill, 65, said: “I think it will be an asset to our area and I think it’s very important that the facilities will be open to local residents.

“It’s better to have something like that rather than have a building lying idle as it is just now. And I think De Vere are a good company with a good reputation.

“I know another elderly resident who lives just opposite where they’re going to build this and she’s very happy with it. She was a bit worried about the parking at first, but we understand that is now going to be towards the back of the hotel so we don’t have any problem with it.”

Bosses at planning agents Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners said the proposed hotel would boost neighbouring districts and benefit locals.

Associate director Ian Kettlewell said: “This exciting new development will regenerate an important and prominent site; removing a redundant office building which has been lying vacant for years.

“The jobs created will be accessible to local residents, offering significant training opportunities and providing a boost to the local economy, as well as many further jobs during the construction phase.”

De Vere Group operates 63 hotel and leisure properties across the UK, ranging from luxury hotels and lodges to golf courses and conference venues.