Hotel chain lodges plans to replace M&S store

Plans have been submitted to demolish a former Marks & Spencer store to make way for a Premier Inn hotel.

The two adjoining buildings in Dorchester's main shopping street have fallen into disrepair since the retailer left the town in 2020.

Whitbread purchased the site in 2023 saying it proposed "a full demolition and sensitive redevelopment".

Members of the public have until 21 June to comment on the application, lodged with Dorset Council.

The site is made up of two buildings - one was built in the 1930s to replace the previous Marks and Spencer store.

The shop was later extended into the adjoining Victorian building in the 1960s.

In a pre-planning consultation, council officers said any development "must clearly make a positive contribution to the street and be sympathetic to local character and history".

Council documents describe the development as "a great opportunity to enhance settings of heritage assets through a specialist and innovative design approach, embracing the architectural sensitivity of the locality".

The South Street building has been occupied by a charity since the store closed as part of restructuring plans.

The 100-bedroom hotel would bring £3m a year to the local economy, according to research commissioned by Premier Inn.

During construction in 1936, workmen found what became known as the Dorchester Hoard - a cache of 22,000 Roman coins buried in the foundations of a Roman house.

The plans can be viewed on the Dorset Council planning portal.

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