Hotel set for £1m expansion which will create 20 new jobs after plans get go-ahead

Director Neel Chawla at the Clarion Hotel, Boldon which is set for investment and job opportunities

Bosses at the four-star Clarion Hotel, in West Boldon, are to invest heavily in constructing nine executive bedrooms, a bar and restaurant after winning planning permission.

They say the move has in part been fired by the development of the nearby International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP).

The IAMP, a joint venture between Sunderland and South Tyneside councils, will be sited within a stone’s throw of the hotel, off the A19, north of Nissan’s car plant.

By 2027, it is expected to have brought in over £400m in private sector investment and created over 7,000 jobs.

Neel Chawla, director of Ailantus Hotels Group, which owns the Clarion Hotel, said: “The IAMP project is really exciting and shows that there’s a real hunger for industry and business in South Tyneside.

“This is something that we want to be part of. It’s development certainly strengthened the argument for our hotel development.

“We are investing well over a seven-figure sum, which could potentially lead to 20 jobs being created.”

He added: “The nature of the hospitality business is having to continually improve your offer so as to maintain position in the area.

“The nine executive bedrooms and standalone bar and restaurant will be available to the public and hotel guests, it will take the property to a new level.”

Coun Iain Malcolm, leader of South Tyneside Council, said: "This news is yet another endorsement of our vision to create the IAMP which has been designated as a development of national significance and will be a game-changer for the region.

"We have always maintained that IAMP would be the key to unlocking a whole raft of economic opportunities for the North East. This expansion at the Clarion Hotel is just the start of many more to come."

The expansion scheme, given the go-ahead by South Tyneside Council planners, marks an incredible turnaround for the Whitney Way site, previously named the Quality Hotel.

Ailantus Hotels Group spent over £2m on repairs and renovations after a devastating fire at the hotel in 2010.