A COLCHESTER city centre building which is home to a popular bar and restaurant may see the top floors become a hotel, it has been revealed. 

Trinity Planning has submitted an application on behalf of a client to Colchester Council to transform a section of 19 Head Street in Colchester into a hotel.

The building is home to Hudson House a sports bar and social co-working space managed by the Elysium Group.

The firm also runs Mimosa in Colchester Business Park, in The Crescent, and other establishments across the city.

Sports bar and restaurant - Hudson HouseSports bar and restaurant - Hudson House (Image: Hudson House) Hudson House previously went through a major revamp and reopened in May earlier this year.

Now, if the application is successful, the two upper floors of Hudson House, which according to the planning application have been “vacant for more than four years”, could be transformed into a hotel.

In prior years, the two floors were used as part of the but following the Covid pandemic, it was “not proven viable to re-open” them.

Ten hotel bedrooms would be built on the first floor, including a central lobby, with six guest rooms having windows that outlook onto Church Street and Head Street.

A “modest rear extension” is also planned for the first floor of the building.

The design and access statement said: “The proposal includes an extension to the first floor the rear of the building.

“This would ‘sit’ on the floor area of what was the outdoor terraced smoking area for the bar”.

Seven bedrooms would be located on the second floor.

According to the plans, the hotel would operate via an “online booking system” and allow for “automated arrivals and departures” for paying guests – it would also feature a laundry and cleaning service”.

Guests would share the same main entrance in Head Street to Hudson House and would have 24-hour access through using key cards to access the hotel area.

Guests would be able to come and go as they please outside of the bar’s “opening hours for the restaurant”.

The ground floor of Hudson House would remain in operation as a bar and restaurant if the application is successful.

A decision is yet to be made on the application.