Balmer Lawn Hotel in the New Forest has unveiled a £4m expansion plan in a bid to better compete with larger hotels with more space.
The four-star hotel, which is owned by Chris and Alison Wilson, is planning to create an extra 38 bedrooms, extend its function room and plant more than 100 trees.
The Saltus Spa offering will also be extended, merged with the Leisure Club and a steam room, ice room and hydrotherapy.
The project will help enable the hotel to win more business, according to the Wilsons, who have owned Balmer Lawn for more than 20 years, and help the New Forest to compete better with the likes of Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth, when it comes to hosting larger functions.
The hotel is headed up by general manager, Michael Clitheroe and comprises 54 bedrooms. If given the go ahead, the new bedrooms would be housed in a two-storey building on site.
Also as part of the proposal, the Wilsons said the current Beaulieu function room would be expanded from its capacity of 120 to 140, opening up more opportunities to cater for bigger parties.
The owners and Clitheroe have been working on the scheme for almost two years, with architect Steve Sherlock creating the idea for the new build.
The application is crucial to the long-term viability of the Balmer Lawn, with ever increasing pressure from rising costs the current size of the hotel is not economically viable as a single unit.
In a statement outlining the plans, they said:
General manager, Michael Clitheroe said: “I am immensely proud to head up the plans for the hotel expansion. This has been a work in progress for some two years now and comes at a time when the award winning Balmer Lawn Hotel is ready to take the next step.
“The Balmer Lawn Hotel stands as a beacon of excellence, not just in the wider hospitality industry but as a local employer. The Balmer Lawn hotel expansion model enables investment into a standout family owned hotel for at least a further generation. Safeguarding something that is incredibly rare and iconic.”
The plans, which include new staff accommodation, have been submitted to the New Forest National Park Authority.
