The budget chain has been trying to open a 115-bedroom hotel in the town since 2016 when they first submitted plans to the borough council to convert the old court house on London Road.
The development has faced stiff opposition—campaigners against the £7million hotel even attempted unsuccessful legal action against Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for what they claimed was an ‘unlawful’ sale of Merevale House, the former family and county court.
Builders on the London Road site are also having to work around the concrete frame of the previous building rather than demolish it.
The hotel is being designed to reflect Tweedale Terrace, an Edwardian building that stood on the site before Merevale House, which was built in the 70s.
Despite the setbacks, Premier Inn say the new hotel, which will feature an in-house Thyme restaurant, is on schedule to open later this year.
A spokesperson confirmed to the Times that progress on the site is continuing, and that ‘the team are targeting a late 2019 opening’ for the new hotel.
