BOSSES at a booming hotel in Thorpe Bay have hit out at delays in the planning system which have held up expansion plans at a time when it is fully booked and in need of extra space.

The Roslin Beach Hotel, in Thorpe Esplanade, is undergoing a multi-million-pound refit.

But the hotel’s owner, the Regis Group, says it is struggling to get planning permission for a change of use for a house next door bought by the company last year.

Since buying the hotel in 2006, the Regis Group has bought homes on either side of the hotel.

On July 31, the firm applied for permission to renovate a building east of the hotel to accommodate nine extra rooms, but five months later no permission has been granted.

Jacqui Harris, hotel sales manager, said: “It has been a bureaucratic nightmare. We applied for change of use in July.

“Four weeks later the council said it needed another plan.

“By September, we got confirmation of receipt of those plans and we were told we would get a decision date by October 27.

“Then the council said there were concerns about parking, so we added four extra spaces to the plans.

“Then it wanted another 21-day public consultation and now it can’t seem to make up its mind about whether the decision will be made by council officers or councillors.”

Mrs Harris added: “Our books are full and we need more space. We could also be employing at least ten more people.

“Considering the financial climate, you would think the council would be trying to help not hinder us.

“The council says it wants to boost tourism and yet we are up against this sort of red tape.”

The Regis Group bought the Roslin Hotel from the Oliver family, who ran the seafront business for three generations.

Peter Geraghty, group manager for development and building control at Southend Council, said the application would be discussed at a development control committee meeting on Monday, January 26.

He added: “When the change of use application was submitted in July and publicised in the usual manner, a number of issues were raised about it.

“We have been working very hard to address these and see how they could be resolved. Although this groundwork delayed the date for the application to be considered by the development control committee, it was essential to do so, to make sure we followed all the proper procedures.”