A UK town, long-known as a magnet for tourists, is set for a £3m boost with a giant new hotel proposed.

Blackpool is to see existing plans for a 160-room hotel, which have already been approved, extended by more than 100 additional rooms making up a five-storey resort on land near its Winter Gardens.

The land it is proposed to be built on between Alfred Street, Adelaide Street and Leopold Grove is currently being used as a car park.

Now, the hotel would feature 266 rooms along with a car park at its mezzanine level.

It is thought the hotel would be incorporated into the Marriott hotel brand with its design drawn up by architects Studio Moren.

A new application submitted to Blackpool Council is hoping to vary the conditions of the already approved development instead of starting from scratch.

Documents submitted with the application read: “This proposal comprises the reconfiguration of the overall layout following a design evolution process to accommodate the requirements of two hotel brands.

“The application will result in an increase to the number of rooms to 266 across a dual-branded hotel development, along with associated updates to the landscaping and access arrangements.”

Plans would include a gym and a drive-through drop-off point on the ground floor, with bedrooms on the upper four floors.

Blackpool Council bought the site about two years ago for an undisclosed sum after it had been marketed for sale with a £3m price tag.

According to the annual STEAM report – which analyses data from tourism and hospitality businesses – Blackpool saw more than 20 million visitors in 2021.

“The total figure of 20.33 million is more than double the figure recorded in 2020 when pandemic restrictions on tourism were at the most severe and 12 percent higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019,” said Blackpool Council.