• 104-bedroom hotel is set to revitalise Carlisle’s West Walls

• UK’s largest hotel company is making £12m investment with 25 jobs planned

• Development is part of Whitbread’s strategic growth plans for the north

Whitbread plc, the UK’s largest hotel company, and owner of Premier Inn, has submitted a planning application for a new city centre hotel in Carlisle.

The proposed 104-bedroom hotel on Victoria Viaduct, close to the station and Carlisle City Centre, will complement the existing Premier Inns in Carlisle when it opens.

In May 2025, the company announced the freehold acquisition of the former Central Plaza site from Cumberland Council for this development.

The site has a lengthy connection to the hospitality industry stretching back to 1881 but in more recent years the former hotel fell into disrepair and was demolished in 2019 / 2020.

Whitbread is seeking planning permission for a new five-storey Premier Inn hotel offering the brand’s latest format ‘Standard’ and enhanced ‘Premier Plus’ bedrooms as well as a guest-focused restaurant.

The bedrooms are arranged from lower ground to fourth floor with the hotel reception and restaurant accessed from Victoria Viaduct at the upper ground floor via a prominent and welcoming entrance. 

Public car parking at the West Walls car park is a two-minute walk away.

Jill Anderson, Acquisition Manager for Whitbread in the north of England, said:

“Since announcing our plans in May 2025 people have told us that they wish to see the vacant Central Plaza site brought back into long-term use.  They also welcome the new employment opportunities and positive economic benefits the hotel will bring to the city.  We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve received so far from stakeholders and representative groups we have spoken to.

“The site on West Walls is not an easy location to redevelop into a hotel and we’ve had to be flexible to create a design that meets our operational requirements and is economically viable.  The contemporary design we are proposing responds positively to the historic context and will create an active frontage onto both Victoria Viaduct and West Walls.  We’re eager to move the proposal forward, get onto site and deliver the package of benefits the hotel will create.”

Based on its own in-house data, Whitbread estimates around 30,000 Premier Inn guests will stay at the City Centre hotel per annum once it reaches maturity.

These customers are anticipated to spend more than £4 million a year within the visitor economy during their stay according to an independent economic impact assessment submitted as part of the planning application, supporting the leisure and tourism sector in the region.

Around 25 new permanent hospitality jobs are also anticipated to be created on opening with around 45 established jobs in the construction supply chain expected to be supported during the £12 million build.

Subject to planning, Whitbread is hoping to commence development in 2026 and is targeting to welcome its first customers before the end of 2028. 

In line with the company’s sustainability policy the proposed hotel will be powered by electricity generated from renewable sources and the proposed building will incorporate heat recovery systems and air source heat pumps to create a low energy demand.

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