Iconic former hotel could be bulldozed for flats and restaurants

The Best Inn, which was previously the famous Jonathans Hotel and Restaurant, at the junction of Wolverhampton Road and Hagley Road West in Bearwood, could make way for eating outlets and 33 apartments.

Proposals to bulldoze the hotel and replace it with a five-storey housing block have been lodged with Sandwell Council.

Bosses behind the project say the plans for the apartment complex will provide the area with a much-needed facelift.

Six homes would also be built on a car park behind the hotel.

According to the plans, the development would see the run-down site transformed. Developers see it as an ideal location for investment due to its close proximity to Birmingham.

Artist’s impressions included in the paperwork show a large, modern-looking building with white cladding on the spot where the hotel sits. Restaurants and takeaways would run from the ground floor of the block.

Developers had originally considered refurbishing the current building but following investigations decided that this was not feasible.

A design statement, submitted with the plans to the council by applicant Erik Purchase, said: “An initial feasibility study explored the potential for a major refurbishment programme, however, concluded that the compromised layout coupled with the poor external image made this option not viable.

“An alternative strategy for the demolition of the existing building to be replaced with a new purpose-built structure would be more attractive to potential investors and would offer the best solution for safeguarding the future of the site.

“This option is seen as an opportunity to provide a building of real architectural quality on a prominent site, to support a viable business model and act as a catalyst for the improvement of the entire corner site.”

The statement added: “We believe the proposed development will have a positive impact on the area by regenerating the site to provide a pleasant living environment for both new residents and existing residents and occupiers in the area.”

The Victorian Jonathans Hotel was well known in the Black Country but closed after going into administration in 2009.

It then re-opened as the Birmingham Best Inn. Businessman Zishan Zaman took over the site in 2011 on a 25-year lease.