new hotel planned for southend airport

New Hotel Planned for London Southend Airport

Plans for a stunning 129-bedroom hotel at London Southend Airport have been unveiled.

The proposed hotel will be sited on land adjacent to the Harp House Roundabout and provide high quality facilities for airport passengers, local residents as well as serving airport businesses.

In an ambitious and innovative concept, airport owners Stobart have designed a unique hotel that incorporates both 3-star and separate 5-star facilities – including twelve executive suites - in the same building.

It will feature cafe and bar areas, plus conference and meeting facilities, while a top floor restaurant will give diners panoramic views of the airport.

Alastair Welch, Managing Director of London Southend Airport, says “High quality, convenient hotel facilities are an essential ingredient of successful regional airports and are an important part of our plans to modernise London Southend. The new hotel will greatly improve facilities for passengers and flight crews using the airport. It will also benefit local businesses. We hope that the local community will make use of the services, particularly the restaurant - our vision is to make it one of the top places to eat in the region.

He adds “The hotel application [recently submitted to Southend Borough Council] follows on closely from the plans approved earlier this year to extend the airport’s runway and the ongoing construction works, which are progressing well, for the new airport railway station and control tower. Like our other developments, we hope to have the hotel open for business prior to the 2012 London Olympics. “

The hotel operator will be announced at a later date.

NOTES TO EDITORSPlanning permission to extend the runway at London Southend Airport by 300m and divert Eastwoodbury Lane was granted by Southend Council in January 2010. This decision was rubber stamped by John Denham, the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in March 2010.

The objective is to make London Southend Airport a fully-functioning regional airport by 2012, providing the opportunity for local people to fly to a range of holiday and business destinations across Europe. London Southend Airport will potentially serve two million passengers a year by 2020.

Find out more at www.flysouthend2012.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS & IMAGESPlease contact Tracy Jones at Brera – 01702 390348 / 07887 514984 / tracy@brera-london.com / www.brera-london.com

21 June 2010