Work to Start on Robin Hood Hotel in Newark

The building is set to be a new 66 bedroom Travelodge and works should be completed by Summer 2020.

The hotel is currently derelict and has been an issue of contention for businesses and residents of Newark since it closed 20 years ago.

Work will initially concentrate on the conservation of the Grade II listed structures and, from January next year, will continue to create a new Travelodge with 66 bedrooms.

Council leader Councillor David Lloyd said: “I very much welcome the fact that this development will very soon get under way. The buildings have been left derelict for too long and the district council’s intervention has been vital in ensuring that the development of this site now takes place.”

Three commercial units will also be created, possibly including a gym, café and restaurant, which will complement the hotel. Twenty-four hour car parking will be provided nearby for hotel guests.

A two-way traffic system will be maintained on Lombard Street throughout with vehicles travelling on the eastbound lane restricted to one lane until January 2020.

The street is scheduled to be closed for one day only during the construction phase although motorists are being advised that it may be necessary for additional closures, which the council maintains will be kept to a minimum.

Traffic emerging from the NCP car park onto Lombard Street will be restricted to ‘left turn’ only during this time period. 

The £6.6million development is led by a joint venture company RHH Newark Ltd which was set up by Newark and Sherwood District Council in partnership with the current owner of the existing buildings MF Strawson Ltd. Both are making a capital contribution of £3.3million each of which two-thirds will be returned to each on completion, when the Travelodge element of the development is sold onto investors.

Each will retain a share of the leisure units with each party having the option to buy, or sell, the long leasehold interest in the units. In each scenario for the council, it is projected to either receive a full return on its capital investment or receive a revenue return of six per cent in rental income.

It is hoped that the scheme will be a major boost for jobs, the local economy, visitor numbers to the district, town centre footfall and help redress the shortage of hotel accommodation in the Newark area, as well as creating 70 new jobs. 

Councillor Lloyd added, “I look forward to seeing the old façade being restored and valuable new accommodation being made available for our increasingly important visitor economy.”

An impression of the finished project.