Gateway welcomes Premier Inn
A HOTEL contractor has been appointed to construct a Premier Inn hotel as part of the £70m Gateway Plaza mixed use development in Barnsley.
Landmark Development Projects and Quest Property have appointed Browns Construction Group to undertake the construction of the 110 bed hotel and associated bar and restaurant.
The Premier Inn, which will be the town’s first purpose built hotel, formed part of a hotel and restaurant deal secured by the developers with national chain Whitbread at the end of last year.
Browns will be starting an intensive programme of works on site in the new year, the first phase of which will be the construction of the timber framework. The five-storey hotel is scheduled to be open for business in late 2009.
Nick Elliot, director at Landmark Development Projects said: “We first appointed Browns in January of this year to complete the construction of the car park and undertake the construction of the offices and residential elements of Gateway Plaza. We have formed a strong working relationship with them throughout the year and their intensive schedule has transformed the scheme.
“As a result of the huge amount of progress on site, the 96,000sq ft offices element is currently being glazed and the framework to the 188 apartment element is progressing well towards its February 2010 completion date. The fit out of the 548 space car park continues and the team aim to begin the necessary highways work before the end of the year. We are confident that with Browns as our chosen contractor, work on site will continue to progress smoothly.”
Dave Booth, contracts manager for Browns Construction Group, said: “The project to date has progressed well with the first handover being the offices, following which we’ll be working towards commencement of handover of the apartments in 2010. The team are looking forward to starting the hotel, the next phase of development at Gateway Plaza. It is a complex and exciting project to be delivering, with handover of the hotel expected summer 2009. The team is really enjoying working on the project as we’ve established a good relationship with the client, design and development teams.”
Upon its completion in 2010, in addition to the Premier Inn and restaurant, Gateway Plaza will offer 96,000sq ft of open plan prime office accommodation,188 one, two and three bedroom apartments, 21,000sq ft of retail and leisure space and a 548 space car park all built around a large, modern central plaza.
