A Hampshire consortium has announced a multi-million-pound redevelopment scheme for a Romsey hotel.

Brothers Jonathan and Philip Nuthall, Raymond Court-Hampton and Nigel Adams are behind the project to reopen the White Horse Hotel.

They have formed a new company called Silks Hotels to buy and transform the Market Place hotel into a viable business after it went into liquidation last December under Stroud Valley investments.

A major refurbishment programme is expected to get under way as soon as planners approve the project. If all goes well the hotel's new bosses, who bought the centuries-old former coaching inn for an undisclosed figure, hope to open its doors to customers again during November.

Up to 30 jobs would be created at the new-look hotel.

Within the next two weeks Silks Hotels will be submitting three planning applications to Test Valley Borough Council.

Jonathan Nuthall, a director in the business, said: "The White Horse has been saved from possibly being turned into flats, as some people feared. We managed to get the stableblock and the courtyard area in the hotel sale. Without these, the hotel would not be viable.

"We have about a dozen car parking spaces and are in talks with Orchard Homes (the development company which has submitted plans to build 12 flats on part of the car park it has bought from the hotel's former owners Romsey Developments) on achieving more car parking."

He added that the number of bedrooms would be increased from 33 to 40 while the pub-style bar would be axed and replaced with a new reception area.

The current reception area would be refloored with flagstones and turned into a hall linking the new reception area with the present restaurant, which would be converted back to its old use as the hotel bar.

The present function suite would be converted into an 80-90-seater restaurant.