Major new plans for Woolacombe hotel undergoing £1.6m transformation

The new owner of a run-down North Devon hotel, which is undergoing a £1.6 million refurbishment and rebranding, wants to build a four-storey extension with an extra 16 bedrooms.

The Fortescue Arms Hotel in Woolacombe was bought last year by Richard Wheeler, who owns The Royal Britannia Hotel, The Harbour Lights Hotel and the Grand Harbour Hotel in Ilfracombe.

Now plans have been submitted to North Devon Council to extend and enhance the hotel on Woolacombe Hill, built in the 1890s, to bring it back into viable use.

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There are currently nine en-suite rooms and two apartments for owners’ accommodation. The extension of 16 en-suite rooms has been designed to “integrate seamlessly” with the existing building, with a pitched roof that complements the scale and form of the original structure, planning documents to the council say.

The extension is located within the hotel’s existing courtyard, slotted between the original building and the kitchen and function room, “making efficient use of the site while maintaining functional connections to the existing facilities.”

“Overall, the design seeks to enhance the hotel’s capacity and functionality while responding sensitively to the character and context of the existing building and surrounding area,” said the documents.

The building has been renamed the Woolacombe Hill Hotel and is in an elevated position with panoramic views across Woolacombe Bay.

It was sold for an undisclosed sum after nine viewings were held and three offers made on the property.

Experienced hotel operator Mr Wheeler, who has run The Royal Britannia Hotel for 18 years, is planning to reopen the venue with a new food offering, including a Sunday carvery.

He said that the hotel fitted in with his portfolio of hotels and was near the Tarka Trail, so would be used by the many walkers who visit his other establishments.

Pre-planning advice sought from North Devon Council’s planning department was favourable to the concept of the extension, he said.

“The building is not listed and we are building at the back of the property, so the facade would not be affected,” he said.

Mr Wheeler said £1.6 million was being invested into the property.

North Devon Council will decide on the plans at a future date.