THE Wilmslow Lodge Hotel in Wilmslow is to undergo a major expansion to meet increasing demand from guests.

A three-storey extension is to be built to the hotel in Alderley Road to provide an additional 17 bedrooms.

The scheme was welcomed by councillors, with members of Cheshire East’s northern planning committee giving the extension application by Hydes Brewery their unanimous support.

The Coach and Four is a long-established public house in the centre of Wilmslow.

Originally called the New Inn, it was built about 1753 following the construction of the Wilmslow turnpike.

The pub was refurbished in 2002 when it was re-named The Coach and Four following a competition.

In 2004 a 36-bedroom block was built on land to the rear of the pub.

Knutsford Guardian:

The Wilmslow Lodge. Street View

Since the renovation of the pub in 2014 the lodge occupancy had increased to more than 90 per cent, and this success led Hydes Brewery to consider extending the lodge accommodation.

Gareth Salthouse, the agent for the applicant, told the committee: “It is unusual for a town the size of Wilmslow with its proximity to tourist and business destinations to have such little visitor accommodation.

“The only accommodation available in the town centre is The Wilmslow Lodge.

“It was built 15 years ago, and has proved to be very successful but unable to meet exceptionally high demand for bookings.”

The new bedrooms would create the potential for more than six thousand new visitors to Wilmslow every year, he said, with a boost to the economy of more than £500,000.

He added that the scheme would also increase footfall in the town centre, which had experienced ‘a high level of vacancies over the years’, and would be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The extension would also boost the long-term viability of the Coach and Four pub, he said, which was an important community asset.

Cllr Iain Macfarlane said he was completely in favour of the application.

He said: “Wilmslow has got a complete lack of accommodation, and this will be a great asset to the town, giving more money for retail outlets and restaurants.”

Cllr Sally Holland said: “This can only be a positive thing. It will help the [town’s] economy recovery, and I am certainly in favour of it.”

The extension is located against the access road to the public car park and Sainsbury’s delivery area.

Windows from bedrooms would face the supermarket, which has blank walls with no windows, eastwards towards woodland and southwards towards houses on Greenway, but at a significant distance from windows.