Super-budget easyHotel plan revealed for Blackpool Prom

An artist's impression of the proposed easyHotel

The easyHotel chain, which is part of the easyJet group, has lodged a full planning application for the £7.6m scheme on land close to Waterloo Road in South Shore.

If it gets the go ahead, it will see a 103-room property built on the site of the former Tudor Rose Hotel which was demolished in 2014.

The company, whose website advertises rooms for as little as £15, revealed in September it had agreed a 999-year lease for the land. It hopes to have the property open for the 2020/21 financial year.

The application comes as planners are wrangling with new designs for another Promenade hotel at the other end of the price spectrum.

Revised proposals for the five-star hotel earmarked for the former Sands entertainment venue on Central Promenade could be refused after the colour scheme was changed to black, which planners judge to be unacceptable.

easyHotel is seeking permission for a four to five-storey building with two cafe or restaurant units on the ground floor, six staff parking spaces and two disabled spaces at the rear and vehicular access from Commercial Street.

The chain says it keeps costs down by offering smaller rooms, some of which have no windows. No food or drinks are provided, but the company says "the quality of the build does however remain high", with all rooms fully air-conditioned.

A design statement adds: "The proposal for 429-437 Promenade would introduce the global 'easy' brand to Blackpool, thus helping to signal the town's importance and stimulate further growth and investment."

When the brand announced its plans to open a hotel in the resort, chief executive Guy Parsons said: "Our super-budget offer will enable visitors to have affordable, comfortable, stylish accommodation at the heart of Britain’s seaside culture and keep money in their purses and wallets to spend on local attractions.”

easyHotel currently operates hotels in UK cities including London and Edinburgh, as well as across Europe.

The easyHotel application will now go before planners at a future date.