THE new owners of Morecambe's Midland Hotel hope it will be welcoming guests again soon after exchanging contracts on the historic landmark.

Manchester based regeneration specialists Urban Splash, confirmed this week that they have taken over the hotel.

The award-winning company moved in after previous ambitious plans for the Midland faltered.

Urban Splash chairman Tom Bloxham says: "It is a fantastic building. I hope we will be able to restore it as a hotel and restaurant, though it will be very difficult, expensive and will no doubt take several years.

"For now we have to take stock and look carefully at what exactly needs doing to the building."

Urban Splash is best known for re-invigorating Manchester's Castlefield district and has also worked on major regeneration schemes in Liverpool.

For more on this story, see Thursday's Citizen.

January 14, 2003 16:00