In Brief: Whitbread and Maple Grove Developments have signed a lease agreement for a proposed 110-bedroom Premier Inn in Lancaster city center. Construction is expected to take 18 months, with around 30 permanent jobs anticipated when the hotel opens.
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110 Room Premier Inn Proposed for Lancaster’s Canal Quarter – Image Credit Whitbread
Whitbread and Maple Grove Developments have signed an agreement for lease for a proposed 110-bedroom Premier Inn in Lancaster city center, subject to planning permission.
Maple Grove proposes to develop the vacant, derelict site on Edward Street in the city’s Canal Quarter. The site contains former industrial buildings. A planning application is expected to be submitted shortly.
The proposed hotel would stand at the corner of Moor Lane and Edward Street. Its entrance and ground-floor restaurant area would face Edward Street and a new public area. The design includes light and dark brick, stone tiles and a slate roof.
The Canal Quarter has been earmarked for long-term regeneration by Lancaster City Council. Its Canal Quarter Masterplan sets out plans for the area to include places where people can live, work, visit and spend time.
If planning permission is granted, construction is anticipated to take 18 months. Whitbread expects to create around 30 permanent jobs when the hotel opens.
Whitbread currently operates an 81-bedroom Premier Inn on Caton Road at the edge of Lancaster. Demand across its existing hotels and expanding visitor numbers across Lancashire and Cumbria are driving its commitment to a second hotel in the city.
Whitbread’s plans for the Lancaster hotel are part of a program of investment in northwest England. The company obtained planning permission for a new Premier Inn in Carlisle city center earlier in 2026.