A hotel in Bradford has submitted a major planning application for an extension to its reception area and a further extension to the existing building.

The Holiday Inn, in The Pastures in Tong Lane, Tong, has made the application as “part of a comprehensive investment and refurbishment of the facilities”.

If approved, the extension will include an expanded reception area, a pavilion-style orangery extension to the existing building, and a marquee for almost 500 guests to the rear.

But if the work is not carried out before the end of 2019, the Holiday Inn brand could pull out of the hotel, the application warns.

The investment comes following the takeover of the business by hotel tycoon Anish Bir, who owns hotels in the Midlands and in India.

ANISH BIR PROFILE: 'We wanted a holiday home in the UK - we ended up buying the Holiday Inn!'

The new extension would be used to improve the hotel’s banqueting and events facilities.

Three phases have been proposed at the hotel, with the first phase, refurbishment of the banqueting suite, already under way.

The reception and orangery extensions and marquee represent phase two, with refurbishment of bedrooms and lobby the final phase.

In the plan’s design and access statement, it said: “The objective of the extension is to upgrade the hotel reception facilities in line with the new Holiday Inn ‘Open Lobby’ concept.

“This is an essential requirement of Holiday Inn - all hotels must be upgraded to the new layouts before the end of 2019.

“Failure to do this will result in the withdrawal of the Holiday Inn brand.”

The design of the orangery is described as a “sleek, flat-roofed extension” that provides a “contemporary contrast” to the existing building.

The extension to the reception would improved washroom facilities, as the plan says current facilities “are inadequate to meet the new standards of the Holiday Inn ‘Open Lobby’ concept”, and would be clad in timber with a pattern of small cubes to provide “a sophisticated subtle touch to the cube type form”.

The proposed marquee in the garden is described as a “critical aspect of the proposed hotel upgrade” and would “create a unique and unusual destination” for events in Bradford.

It would include toilets and a kitchen serving area, and provide seating for up to 474 people as well as a stage and dancefloor.

According to the plans, the new marquee and extensions would more than double current staff numbers from 30 to 70. The application added: “The overall proposals for the Holiday Inn Bradford will improve the guest experience, increase employment and improve efficiency.”

Public consultation on the plans is open until Monday, May 21, and to comment on the proposals visit Bradford Council’s planning website or write to the Planning Department at Britannia House, Hall Ings, BD1 1HX, quoting planning reference 18/01614/FUL.