Plans to close a restaurant and convert it into a hotel have been given the go-ahead.

Premier Inn Hotels Ltd applied to Tewkesbury Borough Council for permission to convert Elmbury Lodge Brewers Fayre into 20 hotel rooms, plus a restaurant for hotel guests only.

Currently, the Brewers Fayre at Shannon Way in Ashchurch, close to junction 9 of the M5, is open to the public and seats up to 200 customers. Tewkesbury Premier Inn is in a separate neigbouring building and has 59 bedrooms.

The Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre site acts as a service area for the M5 and offers accommodation to business travellers to Tewkesbury Business Park.

In a covering letter supporting the planning application, Walsingham Planning, the agent acting on behalf of Premier Inn, said: "Premier Inn has identified a considerable demand for additional budget hotel accommodation in this location. The proposal for additional bedrooms would meet Premier Inn's operational requirements at the location and help to address increased bedroom demand."

Neither Tewkesbury Town Council nor Ashchurch Parish Council objected to the plans, although the parish council said: "It remains disappointed in the closure of the bar, restaurant and soft play area to the public."

A member of the public wrote in support of the plans and said: "Delighted it will remove the pub and offer more hotel rooms for business visitors instead due to its location near to Tewkesbury Business Park. The elevation and/ or building works will not affect residents of Shannon Way/ Furrowfield Park."

The conversion of the restaurant will mainly involve internal works, although where necessary existing openings in the external walls will be removed and new openings proposed as part of the works. Plans also includes two minor extensions to the restaurant building.

The 110-space car park and 16 cycle parking spaces will be retained.