Whitbread gets green light for new hotel at Milton Keynes’ Willen Lake

Hotel group Whitbread, has secured planning permission for a new Premier Inn hotel and family restaurant at Willen Lake in Milton Keynes, creating 60-170 new jobs.

The proposals are for a new 120 bedroom Premier Inn hotel together with a 211 cover ‘Cookhouse and Pub’ restaurant overlooking the lake.  

The hotel will feature a number of family bedrooms to cater for people visiting Milton Keynes for Willen Lake, Gulliver’s World or other local attractions and looking for suitable accommodation in this part of Milton Keynes.

A dedicated customer car park will provide 157 car parking spaces.

As well as adding more hotel capacity and more choice into the area, the new hotel and related investment will further “reinforce” Willen Lake as one of the key leisure attractions for Milton Keynes.

Jamie Baker, development manager at Whitbread, said: “A brand new, purpose-planned and purpose-built Premier Inn will make a massive contribution to the facilities and attractiveness of Willen Lake.  The designs for both the hotel and family restaurant really connect with the lake providing striking views and what will be a fantastic place to meet, eat, drink and relax.  

“Getting the green light to invest into and improve this part of Milton Keynes is more important now than ever and I’m pleased the council has supported our vision and proposed investment.”

Ben Allot, head of property at The Parks Trust, which manages Willden Lake said the company has been “working hard” to improve the visitor experience at the leisure destination.

He said: “The new Premier Inn hotel and restaurant will attract new visitors and will be an important contribution to the city’s visitor economy.  The rental income from this venture goes directly back into the charity to support its important work, caring for Milton Keynes’ parks.  

“This work is financed by The Trust’s endowment fund which enables the charity to make investments which provide the income to maintain and improve the parks.”

Milton Keynes Council approved the proposals at a meeting of its planning committee last week, subject to the completion of a Section 106 Agreement.