Knowsley Council is considering investing in a hotel in Huyton as part of its plans to redevelop the town centre.
The plans are still in their early stages, but the council is looking for a consultant to advise on the investment, according to a tender notice published online.
The notice said the council “is looking to receive quotations from provider bidders for specialist hotel advice to support the procurement of a hotel franchise and hotel operator”.
A council spokesperson added: “As part of our ambitious plans for Huyton town centre we are investigating the potential to secure a hotel that would not only create jobs, but drive footfall to the town centre, support businesses and attractions locally and across the city region.
“This piece of work is a first step to understanding demand and appetite from operators and what any financial structures would need to look like.”
Knowsley Council has been considering wide-ranging regeneration work in Huyton for a number of years, including the complete redevelopment of the current council offices and surrounding civic buildings in Archway Road.
At a council meeting in March, the head of Knowsley’s major developments team, Tony Clark, floated the possibility that this could include a hotel.
He told councillors: “When you look at what the council’s actual requirements are, there’s a lot more opportunity, potentially for commercial, residential or hotel uses.”
A masterplan produced in 2017 does not mention plans for a hotel, but indicates a number of other locations that could be considered for such a development. These include the former magistrates’ court in Lathom Road and the site currently occupied by the multi-storey car park and former education office in Huyton Hey Road.
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Prior to the coronavirus crisis, the council was considering a number of more immediate changes to the town centre, including improvements to the former NatWest and the possible creation of a pop-up cinema.
Several other local authorities have invested in hotels in recent years in an effort to generate additional income to replace dwindling government grants.
In 2018, councils spent £93 million on hotels, although in many cases this involved buying existing hotels rather than building one from scratch.
