A multi-million pound refurbishment plan by new owners has been unveiled which will convert the Forest Side hotel in Grasmere in the Lake District into a 21-bedroom boutique hotel.

The Grade II-listed building currently has 23 bedrooms which will be reconfigured and refurbished to create 18 larger en-suite bedrooms and three luxury duplex suites. The dining room will also be extended to open onto a new garden terrace.

The Forest Side now joins two other Cumbria-based hotels, including the Ryebeck in Bowness and Hipping Hall in Kirkby Lonsdale, in a group operated by their owner Andrew Wildsmith.