Two hotel chains eye up site by Didcot train station

7:00am Monday 17th December 2012 in Didcot

TWO chains who could open Didcot’s first hotel opposite the town’s railway station have been named in a new report.

Abingdon-based developer Cranbourne Homes has planning permission to build 72 flats opposite Didcot Parkway station.

But in the summer South Oxfordshire District Council urged the developer to consider instead a hotel for the key development site in Station Road.

Now it has emerged in a report commissioned by SODC that two chains have been picked out by Cranbourne Homes to operate the new hotel.

At the moment, the only hotel on offer for people visiting the Didcot area is the 84-bedroom Premier Inn at the Milton Interchange.

The report, by consultants AECOM, outlines economic opportunities linked to the creation of the Science Vale UK Enterprise Zone, which features Harwell Oxford science park and Milton Park near Didcot.

The report says: “Cranbourne has identified two potential occupiers for the redevelopment of their site, including both budget and luxury hotel operators.

“Comfort Inn, for example, are interested in a 50-bed hotel.

“However, they would expect to have complementary A3 uses nearby such as a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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“On the higher end of the quality scale, Legacy are a hotel operator who have also registered interest in the Cranbourne site.

“Legacy Hotels are a group of individual hotels situated across the UK and looking to expand.

“Although the hotels in the groups are all different, they are perceived to be at the higher end of the boutique spectrum.”

South Oxfordshire District Council says a new hotel is a crucial part of its masterplan for the redevelopment of the site opposite Didcot Parkway.

Comments(11)

## Nonny Mouse ## says...
8:49am Mon 17 Dec 12

What does this mean for the 2 car parks opposite the station then?

Losing them will be a PITA.

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Ellie the Bruce says...
1:21pm Mon 17 Dec 12

Is the Premier Inn always fully booked to necessitate a hotel in the centre of town then, albeit opposite the train station?

I would have thought it more appropriate to build a hotel, if one is required, closer to the business areas such as Harwell and Milton Park.

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King Joke says...
1:51pm Mon 17 Dec 12

If you're staying somewhere on business, you don't always want to stay a minute's walk from the office or client you're visiting. You need to be able to walk out for a curry or something.

THis is particularly true for Harwell Science Centre, it's in the middle of nowhere!

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andy1975 says...
10:14am Tue 18 Dec 12

## Nonny Mouse ## wrote:
What does this mean for the 2 car parks opposite the station then?

Losing them will be a PITA.
might be a PITA for you but Didcot isn't just about convenience for those who drive to the station from surrounding villages. The station area looks awful with all the car parks and derelict land and desperately needs regeneration

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King Joke says...
10:19am Tue 18 Dec 12

Andy what are you talking about? Don't you realise that cars are more important than people?

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parvinder msvarency says...
4:09pm Tue 18 Dec 12

Ellie the Bruce wrote:
Is the Premier Inn always fully booked to necessitate a hotel in the centre of town then, albeit opposite the train station?

I would have thought it more appropriate to build a hotel, if one is required, closer to the business areas such as Harwell and Milton Park.
Ellie, this story went straight over your head. It is about encouraging visitors to stay and spend their money in Didcot, not about reps going to Milton Park, or Egg-Heads off to RAL.

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King Joke says...
4:12pm Tue 18 Dec 12

Pavinder, how do I put this politely? Didcot for all its charms is not a premier tourist destination. It is however very close to large commercial and scientific centres.

It is therefore safe to assume, as Ellie did, that the target market for a hotel is people visiting the area for work.

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Didcot Scouse says...
4:03pm Wed 19 Dec 12

I'm with Parvinder in respect of forward thinking. If the views of King Joke were o be taken seriously, Didcot would still be a charity shop centre, with no other shopping facilities, no theatre and no cinema. My young children would probably be chimney sweeps too.

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King Joke says...
8:32am Thu 20 Dec 12

Why, Scouse? I never said there shouldn't be hotels in Didcot. In fact I was supporting putting them in Didcot rather than out by the employment sites. The theatre, cinema etc are great facilities in an expanding town, but are more likely to be used by people who live there than leisure travellers, coming long distances and requiring a hotel.

Reading, Oxford, Swindon and Newbury are all within a shortish journey of Didcot, and it is unlikely people from within this populous catchment area (>1m people?) will need a hotel.

It is not backward thinking to suggest that a hotel will be built to capture the likely target market, which is people travelling for work at major nearby employment sites. These people will also spend their money in local pubs and restaurants if the hotel is in the Parkway area. It is Ellie whom you should be taking issue with, for suggesting these people should be kept out of town.

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parvinder msvarency says...
10:14pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Mr Joke, you mention Reading and Swindon. Didcot is just a small version of these towns, so it would be more attractive for people needing a hotel to stay there and enjoy the intimate surroundings, than stay in big towns and make an awful commute in the morning.

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King Joke says...
8:45am Fri 21 Dec 12

Hmm, my employer might hesitate to shell out for a hotel for me 25 miles from my home, but I'm guess maybe others are more generous!

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