LYME REGIS: The final scheme for the multi-million Three Cups hotel redevelopment has been hailed as a ‘landmark’ scheme for the town.

On Monday this week, Palmers Brewery submitted a full planning application to West Dorset District Council for the redevelopment, which has been welcomed by long term campaigners.

The Three Cups in Broad Street has been closed for more than 20 years but used to be a hotel that once housed the likes of literary greats such as Jane Austen and JRR Tolkien.

Negotiations for the site have been ongoing for years, with a campaign group set up to fight for action – The Save the Three Cups action group.

Group chairman John Dover told The News: “We have been trying to re-open the Three Cups as a hotel for five years now and we welcome the news at long last, bearing in mind this is the first planning application that has been submitted since the hotel closed in May 1990.

“I previously warned that the ‘devil is in the detail’ of the plans, but unless the scheme is significantly different to the one we were shown a couple of months ago this is a win-win situation for the town and for the developers. After a successful application, there will be a major challenge to minimise disruption in this busy town but clearly this is expected, bearing in mind access to the site is somewhat limited. Another bonus to the town will be if access is granted into Langmoor Gardens from the Three Cups hotel site.”

Palmers said it would take £5million and three years to transform the site, which will include a restaurant, letting rooms, apartments, townhouses and shops.

If planning permission is granted in the spring of 2015, detailed preparatory work and tendering will be required before work can start on site.

Building is likely to take 18 months and will be planned so as to cause minimal disruption to the town. Palmers aims to have the site open in 2017.

John Palmer, chairman of Palmers Brewery, said: “This is a landmark development for Lyme Regis and we’ve taken time to make sure that the proposals are right for this historic site and for the town as a whole.

“It’s exciting to see the fruit of so many years’ detailed and necessary work as we move on the next stage of development.”

Palmers has consulted local people regarding the scheme over the past five years, particularly those living very close to the site.

They also held detailed discussions with town and district councils and with English Heritage.

The planning application was submitted on November 3 and will be available to view online at dorsetforyou.com once West Dorset District Council has registered the application.

The development is set to include the conservation and renovation of the historic Three Cups building fronting onto Broad Street, incorporating a shop on the ground floor.

There are also plans to include a landmark new restaurant with 12 letting rooms in the old car park at the back of the site.

Some of the rooms will have wheelchair access.

It is planned to allow an access path through to Langmoor Gardens and to include nine residential units. Some of these would be in the Three Cups building and others in a newly built section at the back.

There would also be car parking for the apartments.