Nursing home plan for fire drama hotel

The new care home could be created at the former Westwood Hotel site, in Tettenhall Road, which was devastated by an arson attack last month. The building hit the headlines last month when arsonists broke inside at 6am and set it alight.

It partly gutted the building and forced firefighters to block off part of the busy road.

Paul Burton, the agent behind the nursing home plans, said today: "We are looking at it holding around 30 people when it's up and running.

"The home won't appear very different to how it looks now."

The hotel is believed to have closed its doors in May.

Residents living near to the site said they had heard rumours it could be transformed into a nursing home in the past.

And now formal plans have been submitted to Wolverhampton City Council's planning committee which will make a final decision on the proposal.

A public consultation has now been launched inviting people to put forward their views and concerns in writing by January 10.

The hotel was formerly a prominent asset in the city and, in 2003, every single bedroom was hired to accommodate exhibitors taking part in the country's biggest mixed model show of its kind.

News of the nursing home plans come as nearby Avondale Hotel, also in Tettenhall Road, awaits a decision on its future.

Residents living nearby complained to the council about it being used as a hostel for people recovering from mental illness.

Bosses Thomas and Darren Harvey-Beswick, the first gay couple in Wolverhampton to marry in a civil ceremony, appealed against being ordered to stop housing the homeless and a public inquiry took place this month.

A final decision is now set to be made at the end of January.