The owner of Ilkley’s Craiglands Hotel wants to put the town back on the map as the county’s top spa destination.

A planning application has been submitted to Bradford Council on behalf of the hotel, seeking permission to build nine houses on a car park in the grounds.

The money would be invested in creating a spa in the hotel basement, and other improvements.

Owner Mike Chawla said he wanted to retain Ilkley’s historic reputation as a four star destination.

“The plan is to invest a lot of money in the hotel to bring more tourism to this part of the world,” he said.

“Ilkley used to be the spa destination for this county, I want to put that back here again.”

He believes the return of a spa to the hotel will boost both the business and town.