£15m Wolverhampton Wetherspoon hotel and museum plan put on hold
The landmark £15 million Wetherspoon hotel which was due to be "a catalyst for investment" in Wolverhampton city centre has been put on hold indefinitely.
The giant pub company first planned to open a museum and hotel in the building above the Moon Under the Water, on Lichfield Street, in 2020, originally planning to spend £7 million and create 50 jobs.
However, in October 2020 the company announced costs had doubled to £15 million due to the entire building's roof needing to be rebuilt and that the museum would be downgraded to a room detailing the history of the pub chain.
The company claimed it was still committed to the project, claiming revised plans would create 100 jobs.
But after 18 months of silence staff this week admitted they "have no idea" when the pub's refurbishment will happen let alone when the hotel and museum will be built.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon confirmed the pub chain is no closer to beginning construction on the site.
He told the Express & Star: "There is no decision as yet on the plans for the hotel.
“Wetherspoon is to discuss this further internally to review its options and agree a way forward in terms of the development of the site.”
Plans submitted to Wolverhampton Council three years ago were so ambitious the Moon Under The Water would have become one of the biggest Wetherspoon pubs in the country.
With 8,000 square feet on the ground floor and 3,000 sq ft over two levels, the refurbished pub would have housed artefacts from the company's history.
The pub chain bought the property next to the pub so it could add an extra floor and roof to the Lichfield Street property. That building used to be the old Co-op and is one of the most recognisable in the city, the five-storey site taking up half of one side of Lichfield Street.
The lack of progress on the hotel coincides with the hospitality trade facing an uncertain future.
The pandemic, which changed many drinkers' habits, and the cost of living crisis have hit the pub trade hard. Last year J.D Wetherspoon announced £30 million losses.
In January, the chain also announced it would be selling 35 pubs, including The Billiard Hall, in West Bromwich, and The Butler's Bell, in Stafford.
