The company which owns Premier Inn has announced it has acquired the former Marks & Spencer store in Dorchester.

The department store in South Street closed down in 2020 and has now bee closed to Whitebread, parent company pf Premier Inn, which plans to convert the building into a 100-bed hotel.

Louise Woodruff, property acquisitions manager at Whitbread, said: "We are delighted to have purchased the former Marks & Spencer site on South Street and want to deliver a new hotel of around 100 beds, revitalising this key town centre site.

"Following some early engagement with Dorchester Town Council and other key stakeholders, we'll spend the summer working on our plans before holding a public consultation in the early autumn, before submitting our plans to Dorset Council.

"We believe that a new hotel in Dorchester will strengthen the town's brilliant tourism offer, regenerate a near-derelict site, offer more choice to visitors and bring jobs and investment to the local area."

There is. expected to be a public consultation on company's plans in autumn.