New funding approved for town centre hotel

Plans for a new four-star hotel in Barnsley town centre have moved a step closer after councillors approved funding to develop the scheme.

Barnsley Council's cabinet agreed to release £660,000 to support early development work linked to the next phase of the Seam Digital Campus regeneration project.

The funding will be used to appoint a development management organisation to carry out detailed preparatory work.

Councillor Robert Frost, cabinet member for core services, told the meeting: "It's important that we continue to redevelop the town centre and data suggests we're lacking a quality hotel; the public money is needed to make it happen."

The work being funded includes developing a business case for the proposed hotel, progressing early design work and exploring options for how the project could be delivered - according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council officers said Barnsley currently lacks enough high-quality hotel accommodation to meet demand from business travellers, professionals and event delegates.

As a result, visitors attending meetings, conferences or events in the town are often forced to stay elsewhere, meaning potential spending is lost to neighbouring areas.

Initial concept work suggests the hotel could include around 120 bedrooms, alongside conference and event space intended to support the town's growing business and technology sectors.

Councillor Sharon Howard said the development could create new career opportunities for young people in Barnsley, including in hospitality, which would complement the town's growing digital economy.

The approved funding will also support early development work for other elements of the next phase of the Seam Digital Campus, including plans for the National Centre for Digital Technology and a new public campus square.

The £660,000 will cover professional development costs and project management work over the next year. The council plans to fund this stage of the project through borrowing.

A further report will be brought back to cabinet once the feasibility work has been completed, allowing councillors to decide whether and how the hotel project should move forward.

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