Travel News: Burgh Island Hotel announces first major development since 1934

Travel News: Burgh Island Hotel announces first major development since 1934 

• Renovation includes 12 new guest rooms and extensions to the Nettlefold restaurant and Pilchard Inn to provide an exceptional guest experience and drive commercial success 

• Development follows a £2.5m project to renovate local care home into luxury staff accommodation 

The South Hams District Council's Development Management Committee has approved the first major development of Devon's iconic Burgh Island Hotel since 1934. With £3m of renovation already completed over the past four years, this new multi-million-pound development is set to upgrade Burgh's facilities and sets new standards for contemporary luxury.

The development will help the hotel deliver on its ambition of providing the best possible experience for its guests, the public and hotel staff will ensure that it is a thriving business, which offers life-long employment opportunities to residents in the local community.  

The most prestigious element of the development is the West Wing extension which will see 12 en-suite bedrooms built over four floors with a glazed link to the existing hotel. These premium rooms will have dramatic sea views and curved glass balconies that complement the curved forms present in the original building and the curvature of the Palm Court. 

In addition to the West Wing extension, the major hotel renovations include: 

• Extension of Nettlefold bar: the existing terrace of the Nettlefold is to be enclosed and transformed into a bar for additional guests. This will allow us to separate the black-tie dinners in the Palm court from the casual dinners. It will also ensure that the bar can thrive in the winter months 

• Increasing the covers at the Pilchard Inn: a single-story restaurant extension on the quay to increase capacity. The development includes a servery, catering to the public on the beach. 

• Renovating Chirgwin staff rooms: the staff at Burgh are its most important asset. Therefore, upgrading staff rooms to provide the same luxury as guests receive is essential for both recruitment and staff retention. 

• Spa: conversion of the lower ground floor footprint into a first-class spa including reception, lounge space and new areas for changing, treatments and sauna and stream rooms. 

• Cream Tea Hut: the single-storey outbuilding is being transformed into a traditional 20th century 'cream tea hut'. This facility will be open to the public, bringing more people to the island and enhance the Hotel's commercial success. 

• Island staff quarters – re-purposing of the footprint of the underutilised tennis courts to provide new, high-quality, purpose-built staff accommodation in an "earth shelter" building which will be hidden by sensitive landscaping and utilise the island's topography to minimise any visual intrusion into the landscape and heritage setting. 

• Bay View Restaurant: New restaurant in Bigbury Village with views out to the hotel and the sea. The restaurant will have a retractable terrace roof to cater to customers all year round.  

This exciting renovation announcement follows the news that Burgh has purchased Korniloff care home on the mainland to provide high-quality accommodation for its valued staff. The further renovations to the Chirgwin staff rooms are also set to ensure Burgh remains a top employer in the community and its ties with the local population are reinforced. 

Consideration will also be given to how to preserve the unique flora and fauna on the island. There are also initiatives in place to improve public walking access to the natural parts of the island and increase its biodiversity. 

Giles Fuchs, Owner of Burgh Island Hotel, said: "I am so excited to announce this 10-year development project to ensure that Burgh Island Hotel's reputation as one of the most glamorous and luxurious in the world is maintained and that its unique heritage and architecture is protected. Most importantly, this major development places our amazing and valued staff at the heart of our business by providing them with high-quality accommodation and the potential of a life-long career at Burgh". 

Mark Raby RIBA, Architect Director at Jonathan Rhind architects, said: "It's been a pleasure to work with Giles and Avalon Planning on the design for this unique, historic and inspiring grade II listed building. Burgh's fascinating history, topography, and the fact that the Hotel is located on a tidal island, has made this project a very unique and interesting challenge. I must also thank our design team who have been fantastic. The hotel is truly one of a kind and we are proud to be part of its history." 

Jonathan Finch, Associate Director at Avalon Planning & Heritage, said: "Working with the applicant team and officers to ensure the proposals for Burgh Island are in keeping with the sensitive coastal landscape, as well as the Hotel's heritage and history has been an incredible privilege and we are so pleased that this comprehensive application has been approved by the South Hams District Council, marking a new chapter for this South Hams icon". 

Bernard Taylor the District Councillor, said: "I would like to congratulate the officers who dealt with this application... It is sympathetic development that fits not just to the hotel but also the island. It is an iconic building and we need to keep it running." 

Councillor Daniel Brown, said: "It is a natural and sympathetic progression to the business on site" 

Councillor Mark Long said: "This area of South Hams has lost too many of its hotels... Overall we need to protect the viability of operations and support uses that provide local employment."