Whitbread has completed a leasehold deal on a new 128-bedroom Premier Inn and branded restaurant in the heart of Berkeley's Royal Arsenal Riverside development - bolstering the hotel chain's presence in the capital and supporting the growth of a new cultural destination in south east London.
Due for completion in Spring 2017, the new Premier Inn will be located just 250 metres from the forthcoming Woolwich Crossrail station, one of only two south of the river, which will link Woolwich to central London in just 20 minutes. The hotel will be part of a thriving 88 acre mixed-use scheme delivering 5,000 new homes, 900,000 sq ft of commercial space and leisure facilities including shops and restaurants as well as the wider Royal Arsenal cultural and heritage quarter and will further boost the Woolwich economy.
The Premier Inn deal follows the announcement of a number of new amenities at Berkeley's development reinforcing Royal Arsenal Riverside as a growing tourist and cultural destination. Marks & Spencer announced its return to the area with a new foodstore on the site, and leading arts organisation, Dash Arts, has signed up to the future Cultural Quarter, which Berkeley is delivering in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Following the success of the Dial Arch pub, Young's has recently opened a second gastropub opposite it in the Guard House, a historic building dating back to 1787-88.
Derek Griffin, Head of Acquisitions (London) at Premier Inn, said:
"Woolwich is a hugely exciting area of London undergoing an amazing transformation - we are therefore delighted to have secured 128-bedroom hotel in the heart of Berkeley's Royal Arsenal Riverside scheme. Woolwich is an outstanding location - soon to reap the benefits of Crossrail and an estimated £1.5bn investment by 2030."
Karl Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (East Thames), added:
"With the arrival of Crossrail in 2018 and the forthcoming cultural quarter, Royal Arsenal is a growing riverside destination. With City Airport so close by and popular events such as the Thames Tall Ships Cruise and regular farmers' market held on-site, Woolwich is becoming ever more popular with tourists and the new hotel will add to the area's wealth of amenities."