THE new owners of a 13th century hotel are hoping to secure a licence to sell booze so they can host large-scale weddings and parties once it re-opens.

The Chichester Hotel, in Old London Road, Wickford, closed its doors in 2022 before it was sold to the Ukay Group for £2million.

Now, the new owners are preparing to re-open the hotel as soon as possible and are planning to invest at least £750,000 as part of a major refurbishment.

They have now also submitted a premise licence application to Rochford Council for the supply of alcohol and provision to play live and recorded music.

Ahfaz Miah, managing director of the Chichester Hotel, said: “We will be opening it back up as a hotel, restaurant, and banquet venue.

“The venue will be used for weddings, birthday parties, corporate functions, business meetings, and all types of events.

“We also intend to have bazaars for businesses in the area to showcase their business.

“We want to help the community as much as possible.

“The alcohol licence is needed for the events that will be held.”

The proposed licence is looking for approval to supply alcohol between 9am and 2am from Monday to Sunday.

Also, for the provision of films, live music, recorded music, and provision of dance, between 9am and 2am from Monday to Sunday.

They also want to serve late night refreshments between 11pm and 2am, from Monday to Sunday.

The Chichester Hotel is a 13th-century building and was previously owned by the same family for half a century.

It closed as a hotel in 2022, before it was used to house asylum seekers, which caused outrage amongst the community.

Within weeks of going on the market, the hotel proved popular with potential buyers.

There was reportedly interest from 30 individuals, the bulk of which were hoteliers from across the country.

The hotel was initially put on the market for £1.6million but the stiff competition to take control saw that price rise to £2million on final sale.