New hotel to be built at Imperial War Museum in Duxford
A new 168-bedroom hotel is to be built at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee granted permission for the proposal by Hampton by Hilton to be built and support an existing on-site conference centre.
The six-storey hotel will be an L-shape, with bedrooms on the ground to fourth floors, and a bar and dining area on the top floor with an outdoor terrace.
There will be a lobby and gym on the ground floor, and additional car and cycle parking. It will create 40 jobs.
John Brown, IWM executive director commercial services and operations, said: “We are delighted to hear that our planning application for a hotel at IWM Duxford has been approved by the South Cambridgeshire District Council Planning Committee.
“This has been a long held aspiration of ours and we are thrilled it is coming to fruition in partnership with Propiteer Hotels.
“We are confident it will bring great benefits to the local economy through the creation of jobs and attraction of new visitors to the local area.
“We believe it will also improve our offering as a museum with the option to stay overnight and explore more local attractions and increase the ease with which people can enjoy multiple days of our fantastic annual air shows.”
Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins, lead cabinet member for planning, said: “Most local people – and many international visitors – will know about the airfield’s significance: being used as a training station during World War I and a fighter station in World War II, and now as a place for visitors to enjoy breath-taking aerial displays featuring some of the most iconic planes.
“It makes perfect sense for a hotel to be built on site so that visitors can attend these spectacular displays more easily.
“It will also create economic prosperity for local people and create 40 new jobs. I look forward to visiting in the future.”
The hotel, which it is said will ensure the viability of the site as a national tourist attraction, is expected to open in the spring of 2022.
Mike Aspinall, director of Propiteer Hotels, said: “We are pleased to secure planning permission for our exciting hotel project at IWM Duxford.
“We are working in partnership with both IWM and Hilton Worldwide to ensure the finest possible experience for every one of our guests.
“We look forward to welcoming them in due course and to continuing our rapid expansion of branded hotel assets across the UK.”
Graham Dodd, managing director, UK & Ireland Development, Hilton, said: “We are delighted to be partnering once more with Propiteer Hotels to expand their portfolio in the UK, having opened the Hampton by Hilton Exeter Airport in 2016.
“With more than 50 Hampton by Hilton hotels either trading or under development across the UK, we are confident the site will be a great addition to Duxford and we look forward to welcoming guests in 2022.”
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