Cumberland council has approved proposals for a Premier Inn in Carlisle city centre.

The Whitbread-operated hotel chain is now set to construct a 104-room hotel along the city’s mediaeval walls, investing £12m in its development.

The company said the five-storey hotel will follow Premier Inn’s latest format ‘standard’ and improved ‘Premier Plus’ bedrooms.

It added that it will need to find solutions to challenging design constraints posed by the hotel’s location, such as topography changes, height restrictions and the listed city wall which borders part of the plot.

The firm estimated that the new hotel will bring in £4m per year to the Carlisle economy while fueling the region’s leisure and tourism sector.

It added the hotel’s eventual opening will also create approximately 25 new permanent hospitality jobs, and that its investment will support 45 existing construction-related jobs during the build.

Construction is set to commence in 2026, subject to Whitbread’s ability to successfully discharge the conditions attached to the planning permission, while opening is expected before the end of 2028.

A historic hotel that once occupied the same site was demolished by Carlisle City Council in 2020 after it was deemed structurally unsafe.

Whitbread had originally revealed plans to redevelop the West Walls site in May 2025 and worked with Cumberland Council’s planning officers on the proposed design.

There are currently 11 Premier Inn hotels in Cumbria.
Commenting on the approval, Whitbread’s acquisitions manager Jill Anderson, said: “As a team we feel very passionate about this development. Bringing the site back into use as a hotel will encourage people to stay in the city centre, supporting other existing businesses as our customers eat and drink out, and will create permanent, flexible, year-round hospitality jobs with a leading FTSE100 company – creating long-term value the city.
“Redeveloping constrained locations such as West Walls is not easy and we have overcome many hurdles to design a viable hotel development. Cumberland Council have very much been on the journey with us, and I would like to thank them for their commitment to our plans as well as the many people who have helped us to secure this planning permission.”

She added: “It’s fair to say we’re all thrilled with the decision from the members of Cumberland Council’s Planning Committee to resolve to grant our application, and I look forward to engaging with the community as we progress the delivery of our new hotel.”

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