Clacton's oldest hotel could be returning to the holiday trade.

Owners of the Royal Hotel on Marine Parade East - which has been used to house asylum seekers and the homeless for more than two years - have put in new plans for the site.

They include a change of use for part of the ground floor from hotel use to a restaurant and bar.

A spokeswoman for the Royal said the idea was to knock the current Rocking Horse pub and the ballroom of the Royal into one large area for that purpose.

"On the first floor there would be a dining room and kitchen to serve hotel guests, as well as some guest rooms," she said.

"The second floor of the building would be all hotel bedrooms."

The spokeswoman said the timing for work depended on when the company got planning permission from Tendring Council to go ahead with the scheme.

"We would be hoping that it would be some time next year," she added.

"We see this as a very positive step for the holiday industry in Clacton."

The application will be discussed at a future meeting of Tendring Council's development control committee.

An appeal is due to be heard shortly as the council took enforcement action against the Royal's operators, the Estuaries, over the building's use to house asylum seekers.

Mick Page, Tendring Council's portfolio holder for regeneration, said that if the Royal was to be restored to its former use it would be a welcome boost for the tourist trade in Clacton.

"We need the Royal back as a premier hotel on the town's seafront and that is something we have been trying to achieve for the past couple of years," he said.

"But we would need to see the whole property back in that use, not just part of it. Only time will tell if that will be the case."

The Royal was one of the first buildings to be built in Clacton and is more than 125 years old.

By Nigel Brown

Reporter's e-mail: nigel_brown@thisisessex.co.uk

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