Plans to scrap Premier Inn for Dorchester "a shock"

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A u-turn by Premier Inn to build a second hotel in Dorchester town centre has been described by business leaders as a "shock". Steve Bulley - President of the Dorchester Chamber for Business - told BBC Radio Solent's Steve Harris it had come "out of the blue". Premier Inn's owner Whitbread bought the site on South Street in 2023. The firm says rising business rates for hotels and increasing construction costs mean the plans are no longer viable.