A NEW hotel could be coming to a village near Durham on the back of a major new development.

The plans have been submitted for a new hotel and restaurant near the A1(M) at Bowburn, which is intended to address an undersupply in the area.

Ravensworth Property Developments has applied to Durham County Council for outline planning permission to build a hotel with 68 beds, a pub and restaurant and car park.

The proposed site is to the west of the A1, close to the proposed £161m Integra 61 development, but will not form part of that scheme.

It is part of a four-acre site opposite the service station at junction 61 of the A1(M) and would be accessed from Tursdale Road.

A spokesman for Ravensworth Property Developments said no one had been appointed as yet to run the hotel.

He said: “We are aware of hotel interest around the area and once we have secured planning permission we will be going out to potential occupiers.

“Durham is very under supplied in terms of hotels. On the back of Integra 61 there’s going to be a lot of jobs and beds are going into the site.

“It’s very well located near the A1 and just a couple of miles away from Durham, so hopefully it will be a good fit.”

He added: “The scheme is very much based on complementing the Integra 61 project.”

Planning permission for Integra 61, which is hoped will create up to 4,000 jobs, was given last March though work is yet to start on the site.

Citrus Durham have permission to build 170,000sq m of industrial space, a 70-bed hotel, 60-bed care home, solar farm, shops, a restaurant, pub, nursery, GP surgery, car showroom and up to 270 houses, off the A1(M) at Bowburn.

Focus Architect, which has submitted a design statement for the new proposal said: “Ravensworth Property Development’s proposal includes a 68-bed hotel and public house/restaurant which will make a positive contribution to the Bowburn area with the creation of jobs, high-quality hotel accommodation and food and drink premises to serve both local residents and commuters utilising the A1 motorway.

“Consideration has been given to the adjacent residential buildings and surrounding rural landscape to create a low density, sympathetic design by restricting the development height to a maximum of three storeys.”