An alcohol licence has been granted for a 42-room hotel on Middlesbrough Road, South Bank, designed to serve workers at the nearby Teesworks industrial area and freeport.
The Commercial will operate a bar and restaurant with alcohol sales and music from 11:00 to 23:00. Redcar and Cleveland Council's regulatory committee approved the licence at a meeting on Tuesday following three minutes of deliberation.
Purpose and Location
Applicant Chris Hankinson told the council the hotel is positioned directly opposite Teesworks, making it the closest accommodation to the freeport and port facility.
Hankinson described the venue as "very much geared to being a workers' hub". He emphasised that the alcohol licence was "a necessary evil" rather than a profit-focused scheme, explaining that guests needed somewhere to relax and dine after working hours.
"The whole purpose of the alcohol licence isn't some sort of big business money-making scheme that we're doing," Hankinson said. "It's just a necessary evil, if you like, having somewhere guests can unwind afterwards and escape the four walls of a room, relax and have some food."
Jobs and Opening Plans
The hotel is expected to employ 13 people in its first wave of recruitment. Hankinson said the team is recruiting and aiming to open "as soon as we can".
Council Decision
The Labour-led authority's regulatory committee received two crime-related objections to the licence application before voting to approve it. Committee chair councillor Stuart Smith announced the decision, saying: "We're more than happy with explanations and we believe that you will, and you must, comply with the conditions and objectives."
