The operator of Clacton's premier hotel has announced plans for a dramatic transformation after being told it can no longer house asylum seekers.

Dozens of asylum seekers have been staying at the town's premier hotel, The Royal, for the past year.

A planning inspector decided last week that it had not been operating as a hotel and must stop accommodating refugees.

Michael Chittenden, owner of the Royal's operator The Estuarys, said the town's oldest building could now be drastically changed if plans were approved.

The hotel was too big to cater just for tourists and would have to be changed for it to become manageable, he added.

He said: "We have an application coming in soon for a ground floor bar and restaurant. We would reduce the size of the accommodation by getting an office suite or a private members' club. It's a bit of a white elephant."

The plan would leave ten to 20 rooms and make the hotel viable once again, he added.

Mr Chittenden said he was still considering whether to appeal against last week's decision.

The hotel has been given two months to remove asylum seekers, but Mr Chittenden said he hoped the council would extend that as there was still a national crisis with asylum seekers.

If the hotel did revert to its former use Mr Chittenden said he did not know where the refugees would go. There are currently 60 people at the Royal.

The Estuarys also runs the Chelsea House Hotel in Clacton and the Silver Woods Motel in Thorrington.

Mr Chittenden said Tendring Council had said The Estuarys needed planning permission for the development in Thorrington but had not said anything with regard to Chelsea House.

He said he did not know if the company would put plans forward for Silver Woods yet.

A spokesman for Tendring Council said the families at the Royal were the responsibility of the authorities which placed them there.

"At the moment we do not believe any of them are our responsibility, but if they were we would treat them as any other homeless family," he added.

He said there were no asylum seekers currently in council houses in Tendring.

By Mark Beales

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

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