LYME REGIS: An acclaimed Lord of the Rings illustrator has appealed to the developers of an iconic hotel JRR Tolkien stayed in to preserve the heritage of the building.

Canadian Ted Nasmith, who illustrated Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit works, has compared the potential development of the Three Cups Hotel in Lyme Regis to joining forces with Tolkien’s evil character Saruman.

Last month, Palmers Brewery submitted a full planning application to West Dorset District Council for the redevelopment, which has been welcomed by long-term campaigners.

Palmers said it would take £5million and three years to transform the site to 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.

The Three Cups in Broad Street has been closed for more than 20 years but used to be a hotel, hosting both Jane Austen and Tolkien.

Mr Nasmith, who has also illustrated George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones books and produced work for Lord of the Rings calendars, has spoken out in favour of preserving the heritage of the Three Cups Hotel.

“It has come to my attention that there continues to be a situation evolving in Lyme Regis which has pitted local heritage advocates against the owner of The Three Cups Hotel,” he said.

“With weak heritage preservation laws or labyrinthine bureaucracies, it is usually an uphill battle to save genuine heritage assets, sadly.

“It is mostly the rule in my experience that ‘heritage’ only has a fair chance when citizens rise up and vocally challenge councillors willing to serve it rather than the greater good.

“The Three Cups Hotel is a case in point. Were the Americans to have an equivalent ‘cultural asset’ frequented by some of their great literati – Twain, Thurber, Faulkner, Dickenson, Hemingway, Thoreau, Kerouac, or Poe – there would be concerted opposition to its destruction.

“Shouldn’t a beautiful seaside hotel as well-frequented by British literary fame as The Three Cups receive the same protection?

“Losing it would be, to my Canadian mind, to throw in your lot with the modern equivalent of Tolkien’s Machiavellian character Saruman.

“It doesn’t have to end that way.”

But chairman of Palmers Brewery, John Palmer, has reassured campaigners.

He said: “Palmers Brewery has no intention of demolishing the historic Three Cups building in Lyme Regis.

“Over the last five years we have worked extensively with local townspeople, town and district councils and English Heritage to find a way of conserving the building while regenerating the whole site in a manner that will benefit the town.

“Indeed, our final plans were declared a win-win situation by the Save the Three Cups campaign group.

“I hope that when restored, The Three Cups and the associated restaurant and guest rooms will prove a magnificent draw for many visitors, including those interested in the Tolkien connections.”