Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How many rooms will the Travelodge hotel have and how many parking spaces?
A1. The proposed Travelodge would provide 58 rooms, which will help to attract additional visitors to the town. 20 parking spaces will be provided, along with 18 cycle parking spaces. Vehicles will access the site from Church Square and the hotel would have approximately one delivery each week.
Q2. Will the Post Office continue to provide the same service in the long term?
A2. The Post Office will not be impacted by the scheme and will continue trading as normal. The Post Office has also taken back a long lease on the existing building to further commit to the town.
Q3. What businesses would occupy the commercial building?
A3. Several uses will be applied for when a planning application is submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council for consideration. This is to retain flexibility in what uses could be accommodated in the building, based on future demand.
There are no confirmed occupiers at this stage, but possible uses could include small scale retail, flexible office space and leisure uses, such as café or gym. No residential uses are proposed on the site.
Q4. How will the proposals boost the town centre?
A4. The new Travelodge could help boost expenditure in the town by c.£1.8million per year. The proposals would boost footfall for local retailers, pubs, and restaurants, providing direct economic benefits for the town – the Travelodge will not include a restaurant, so guests are likely to visit the town centre for meals, drinks, and other services.
The Travelodge would create approximately 20 new job opportunities with additional employment generated from the commercial building. There would also be opportunities for locally based contractors to play a role in scheme construction.
Q5. Will the proposals impact on the development of other land behind High Street?
A5. The proposals will fully complement the Central Bedfordshire Council Development Brief for the land behind High Street. The scheme allows for a new vehicle access to be created through to this wider site.
An update to the original brief advises that a hotel is considered appropriate in this location and the scheme would act as a catalyst, potentially attracting further investment to kick start the wider site’s regeneration.