A HAMPSHIRE hotel is planning to go up in the world - by adding an extra storey which will provide an additional 18 bedrooms.

Tim Wedgewood, owner and manager of the three-star South Lawn Hotel at Milford on Sea, says the £1.5m scheme will create four full-time jobs and several part-time posts.

The two-storey complex in Lymington Road currently has 26 bedrooms and struggles to meet demand.

It is surrounded by green belt land but has a large flat roof, making it possible to provide extra accommodation on top of the existing building and thus avoid the need to extend sideways.

Daily Echo:

If the proposed development is approved by New Forest District Council the number of rooms will rise to 44.

Mr Wedgewood is also seeking consent to create an extra 48 parking spaces at the hotel, taking the total to 105.

The application says the scheme received a “wave of support and enthusiasm” at a public exhibition held last year.

It adds: “Infilling the flat roof will result in a well-designed solution for the hotel. It is the best alternative because it would not entail seeking to add a new ground floor wing, which would inevitably have a greater impact on the openness of the green belt.

“This design approach will largely hide the addition.

“Every effort has been made to work within the existing building envelope and put forward a design that does not feel at odds with the existing building.

“The photomontage of the proposed works demonstrates how well the extension blends in with the hotel.”

Daily Echo:

Giving its initial assessment of the application the council says its economic development manager supports the proposed development, which would allow a “popular and well-reviewed” hotel to increase capacity.

The authority also outlines the potential benefits to the area as a whole.

It says: “The increase in the number of bedrooms should boost the number of overnight visitor stays in the hotel area, thus bringing increased investment to the New Forest economy and benefit the local supply chains.

“The only residential property likely to be affected by the proposal is South Lawn Lodge, which lies to the south of the site."

The application acknowledges that the proposed development is likely to have "some impact" on the property but says it is too far away to suffer any unacceptable increase in overlooking.

Anyone wishing to submit a comment to the council must do so by August 11.