PLANS for new rooms and self catering lodges have been submitted for a hotel in Brent Knoll.

The Grange Hotel has submitted an application for function and event facilities, a new bar and restaurant, leisure suite, gym, up to 70 new or renovated rooms (this includes the existing rooms at the site) and up to 70 one and two bedroom self-catering lodges.

The plans also include an enlarged car park, as well as a visitor centre and reception building.

At the moment, the hotel has just 33 guest rooms/staff rooms, a bar/restaurant that can seat up to 100 guests, a reception office as well as a car park and garden areas.

WH Architects, on behalf of the hotel, said: “The existing hotel buildings will be extended by adding a new wing of a similar scale which will be orientated east / west and will form enclosure to the existing garden area below the hotel.

“This ground is significantly lower than the exiting buildings and the new wing will be subservient and will step down to follow the ground levels.

“The third area of the scheme is the garden lodge rooms which are proposed as single storey buildings which will follow the ground levels. These are to be built in small informal groups with green roofs and a landscaped garden.”

The lodge buildings will include living and green roofs, which means they will be partially or completely covered in vegetation. This is to “retain water and encourage growing wildlife”.

Solar panels will also be incorporated into the designs so that renewable sources of energy are generated.

A spokesperson for WH Architects, added: “Overall the project will be designed to minimise the demand for energy use, to achieve a sustainable development and to address the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”

A preliminary scheme was presented to Sedgemoor District Council (SDC) in 2018.

“Generally it was seen that there is a shortage of good quality hotel accommodation in Somerset and in the local area of Burnham on Sea and Highbridge,” the spokesperson added.

“The idea of creating a new visitor destination which will provide serviced accommodation together with restaurants and spa facilities plus a conference and events venue would fill a gap in the market.

“A distinctive and characterful hotel development is intended to provide a richer good quality experience for visitors when compared with more typical motorway break hotel accommodation.”

The application will now be discussed by Sedgemoor District Council later this year who will make a decision on the plans.

To view the planning application, visit the Sedgemoor District Council website with the reference 07/20/00026.