Thetford hotel extension plan rejected

A second application to extend a Thetford hotel has been refused amid worries about a loss of public space and removal of protected trees.

Plans to increase the number of rooms by 36 at the Premier Inn, on Maine Street, were refused by Breckland planning officials at Monday’s meeting.

A previous planning application was refused on the grounds that residents would be overlooked, a loss of trees and a perception that there would be a loss of open space.

The new application proposed a three-storey extension as a separate annex which, it said, would solve the problem of people being overlooked.

The restaurant would have been extended at the same time with a single-storey addition to the north side, while the car park would have bene “re-configured” to accommodate 105 spaces.

Some 42 trees would have been removed, of more than 250 in the area, while the first scheme planed to remove 82, although the applicant said there would be scope for planting new trees.

Speaking at the meeting, Thetford saxon ward councillor, Mark Robinson, raised concerns about the layout of the proposed new car park and loss of trees, while Thetford Guildhall ward councillor, Pam Spencer, said she was concerned at nearby homes being overlooked.