A reserved matters planning application been submitted for a Hilton Garden Inn in Stoke-on-Trent.

The 140-guestroom hotel will be located in the Smithfield development in Hanley, and Genr8 has confirmed that a franchise agreement between Hilton and Smithfield developer and hotel owner Genr8 was entered into in April 2017.

Richard Ingham, partner, Genr8, said: “The planning submission is the next key step in the delivery process for the Hilton Garden Inn at Smithfield and work is continuing in line with our programme towards a start on site for the hotel in late 2017.”

The new hotel will create more than 50 jobs and provide high-quality meeting and conference facilities. It will be within walking distance of the main retail area, museum and theatres, and within a short drive to national attractions such as Alton Towers and Trentham Gardens.

Genr8 will own and deliver the new hotel, working alongside the city council. Genr8 is expected to start construction later in 2017 subject to planning approval being granted. The hotel is expected to welcome its first guests in 2019.

City director David Sidaway said: “There is a need for more hotels in the city and this development would go some way towards addressing that with high-quality accommodation from a world famous brand. It would also help enormously with our UK City of Culture 2021 bid as well as creating jobs, bringing in additional footfall and supporting the local economy. We are now one of the fastest growing economies in the country and have a drive to not only change perceptions of our city but raise our aspirations.”

Outline planning for the Smithfield, Stoke-on-Trent development was granted in 2011.