Plans to transform empty Grade II listed hotel

A Grade II listed hotel which has been empty for two years could be brought back into use.

Developer Ashall Projects Limited said the building in Duke Street, Barrow, "was in poor state of repair" as it submitted plans to install new interior, replace 12 windows and fix new signage.

Applicant Franklin Ellis Architects said the facility last operated as a non-branded hotel but ceased trading due to its "deteriorated condition and significant repair requirements".

If approved by Westmorland and Furness Council, the hotel would become a Garner Hotel under the IHG brand.

The plans said it would supplement the offer of the adjacent Holiday Inn Express, by offering a number of longer stay rooms with kitchenettes.

The applicant said many of the existing windows were in "poor condition" and 10 of the dormer windows would be replaced like-for-like with sash windows.

They added the internal layout would stay "largely the same", but minor alternations would be made to the ground floor, including opening up the lobby from the reception area.

The plans included removing some coving and modern timber wall cladding from about 2007, and installing a new lift, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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