Deltic House - July Update

Executive Summary

The development to transform the building into the first @Home by Best Western Hotel continues at Deltic House in Middlesbrough with progress made on the construction side of the project. At this stage our forecast is to complete works by April/May 2025, so that the building is ready for a September/October 2025 opening event.

Key Updates: Building Progress

• Planning permission to confirm the change of use to a hotel is in the final stages with the Middlesbrough Development Council. We have responded to all requests made and expect approval decision imminently.
• Following a review with the Best Western Management team, it was agreed that to attract their defined mid market segment some rooms should be reconfigured to improve the customer experience and overall proposition of the hotel. There will now be 31 rooms (instead of 38), that offer a more open plan, spacious apartment type room with an en-suite bathroom and integrated kitchen so its more like the Best Western Brand.
• Internal walls and partitioning, door lining and frames have been erected, stairwell removed and mezzanine floors, stud walling and ceilings created.
• New structural openings are still being made and the required steel or concrete supports inserted in accordance with the structural engineering requirements.
• The front facade works specification has been drafted following a site visit with Middlesbrough Development Councils’ building control and planning teams. This will restore the facade to its former Grade II listed state.
• Quotations are progressing for the remaining stages of construction works with efforts being made to speed up the build time on site and reduce costs.
• Quotations have now been received from the Electric, Water and Gas utility companies so we are progressing the placement of orders for all these services. Gas services were installed on 9th July.
• Electrical, Heating and hot water designs have now being produced with a final review taking place with Best Western Hotels to ensure alignment with their standards. Our mechanical and electrical subcontractors will then be able to finalise their quotes to us which will be going to tender.
• We are working in partnership with Best Western and the Vine Group to select furniture, fixtures, colours and finishes for the hotel. This will conclude during Summer 2024 and we will then be able to get quotations from suppliers to fit out the hotel.
• Following Health & Safety review we have implemented security and fire upgrades to the building during construction phase with the inclusion of a fully integrated fire alarm system through the building.

New Requirements

• We have proceeded with purchasing the required Neutrality credits and submitted evidence to the local council as required. This is following the new planning requirement to purchase Neutrality credits to offset the additional pollution into the waterworks infrastructure building this hotel will generate.
• A key recommendation of the fire strategy for the building is to install a fire sprinkler system across all floors so we have now incorporated this into the design of the building and are obtaining quotations. We may also be required to install fire suppression system due to the newly required open plan design arsing from the Best Western management review.
• Following changes announced by central government the Building Control system we moved our work from our current partners (Evolve) to Middlesbrough Borough Council Building Control team. They have been engaged and site visit is being arranged with a review being worked on.

Best Western Hotel Marketing

• Best Westerns’ media partner ‘Motus Productions’ (https://www.motus.tv/) have visited the site to produce a video storyboard of the development. We will shortly have the video production to promote across our marketing channels.

Next update is anticipated August 2024.

July External Photos

July Internal Photos