MULTI-MILLION pound plans for a new hotel in Southampton city centre have been unveiled.

A 40-room hotel with a hair and beauty salon, a nightclub, an upmarket wine bar and a restaurant  could be built at the former Barclays Bank site in the High Street.

The £7m scheme is set to create 40 new jobs and it is expected to generate £5m revenue a year.

The name of the hotel operator is yet to be disclosed but developers have confirmed that the hotel will be a boutique hotel.

The plans for the Grade II listed building also include an extension to the roof and the ground floor as well as the demolition of part of the back of the building to allow a six-storey extension.

The front façade is expected to be retained and no extra parking spaces are set to be created at the site.

But developers stressed that the venue is near to public car parks and bus stops.

The plans have been put forward by Manoj Kumar and the final decision will be made by civic chiefs at Southampton City Council.

In a statement Mr Kumar said: “There are many budget hotels but the new luxury boutique hotel will be for guests who are looking for a fun, cozy and comfortable stay. Apart from the new jobs that will be created, Many local businesses such as taxi operators and suppliers will benefit from the hotel and its guests. We are in talks with a few interested operators and at present are keeping our options open.” The proposals have been welcomed by city leaders.

Giles Semper, inset, the BID chief executive, said: “Southampton is under-supplied with this kind of accommodation. It will find a market among cruise passengers but will also be crucial to our possible status as UK City of Culture 2025 when we will need as many hotel beds as we can get.We firmly believe that the High Street is due a new lease of life.”

Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith said the plans show “a vote of confidence” in the city. 

“It’s an excellent way to reuse a heritage building and the employment opportunities it promises are particularly welcome especially during this dreadful pandemic,” he added. Bargate councillors welcomed the scheme and said the plans will come under further scrutiny as the building is a listed building.

Cllr John Noon said: “I do welcome the continual investment in the city centre and note we do seem to be seeing quite a lot of applications for new hotels. The nature of this part of the city centre is changing, but new developments do need to be viable into the future.”

Cllr Sarah Bogle added: “I welcome new investment in the city generally. There seem to be a lot of applications for hotels at the moment which I hope are viable longer term.”