A Wisbech hotel has entered amended plans for an annex with bedrooms as there’s more demand for larger rooms.

The owner of the White Lion Hotel on the South Brink wants to extend into the car park and two previous applications for eight bedrooms were approved in 2011 and 2018.

And in his latest application to Fenland planners, the proposed two-storey building will accommodate just six bedrooms so each room is slightly larger.

Jesal Karavadra took over the hotel in 2018 and has since been renovating it.

The application’s design and access statement by agent’s 3D Planning said: “... the new owner has invested heavily in the site upgrading the hotel facilities within the White Lion itself and by extending the kitchen to revitalise what had been a failing business.

“In doing so he has become aware of the market trend/demand for hotel rooms to be slightly larger than those permitted in the previous eight-unit scheme.”

Customers staying in the annex will use shared facilities within the main hotel such as the bar and dining room if the plans are given the go-ahead by planners.

The proposals also involve the demolition of a small part of wall which sits on the boundary of a conservation area.

“The demolition of this wall has been previously approved twice in the 2011 and 2018 permission,” the statement said.

While the hotel building sits inside the conservation area boundary, the annex itself would be built outside of it.

The application’s heritage statement explained the proposal would have an impact on the site and on adjacent listed buildings but it is not considered harmful.

“...the building will make a positive contribution to the appearance of Somers Road,” the heritage statement said.

It concluded: “The proposal is considered to be in accordance with the council’s wide ranging economic and planning aspirations for appropriate development within Wisbech town centre and the public benefit in terms of securing inward investment to the town and additional hotel accommodation in the town is considered to outweigh any minor heritage impacts.”

The plans were validated by Fenland District Council on October 19.