Old Shire Hall, previously the headquarters of Durham University could be converted into a 70-bedroom boutique hotel under plans just published. Local businessman Shaun Crawley has bought the Grade II-listed building and aims to convert it into a 40-bedroom hotel and a 30- room apartotel with a restaurant, bar, leisure and conference facilities.
Old Shire Hall is located in the centre of Durham. It was built in 1896 as the headquarters for Durham County Council. Its most recent occupants, Durham University, moved out of the building two years ago since when the building has been unoccupied.

A planning application for Old Shire Hall’s conversion is expected to be submitted later this month.

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Published: 10 July 2014

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Canadian-based Sandman Hotel Group is to establish its first hotel in Scotland after successfully acquiring a site in Aberdeen. Sandman Hotels will invest £20 million to transform Robert Gordon University's St Andrews Street building into a four-star hotel with 220 bedrooms, a restaurant and conference facilities.

The new hotel will be the group’s third in the UK. It will join the Sandman Signature hotel in Newcastle on Tyne which was the first to open. Sandman Signature London Gatwick, the former Ramada Plaza Gatwick, was taken over by the group in autumn 2013.

Details: www.rgu.ac.uk

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Published: 09 July 2014

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Belmond Hotels, formerly known as Orient-Express Hotels, has signed a deal to operate the 64-bedroom The Cadogan in London.
The Cadogan, built in 1887, will close at the end of July to undergo a £30 million refurbishment. The fully renovated Belmond Cadogan will reopen in summer 2016. Refurbishment will include all public areas. The guest rooms will also be reconfiguration reducing the number of rooms from 64 to 54 in order to accommodate larger junior suites and suites.

The Cadogan has a colourful past. It was once the home of Lillie Langtry where she courted the future King of England and also the location of Oscar Wilde’s infamous arrest.
The Belmond Cadogan is located in Sloane Street overlooking Cadogan Place Gardens in Knightsbridge.

Details: www.cadogan.com

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Published: 09 July 2014

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Plans for a huge man-made lagoon plus a surf park with an artificial wave generator have been unveiled for a 90-hectare site beside junction 27 of the M5 near Tiverton in mid-Devon.
The scheme will be connected by a new foot and cycle bridge to the nearby Tiverton Parkway railway station.
Other attractions at the all-year-round site include a sports village, a visitor centre, an artisan area featuring food and other products from the region plus hotels.

Further north, plans are already in hand to build The Wave, another inland surfing experience to be built at Easter Compton near Bristol. The centrepiece of the Bristol site will be the surfing lake for professional surfers and beginners alike. Around the lake will be a natural swimming lake and a multifunctional garden plus a core facility building with a cafe and educational space.

Details:  www.the-wave.co.uk

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Published: 09 July 2014

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