KENDAL residents gathered at K Village on Tuesday (June 12) to take a closer look at plans to turn the shopping centre into a budget hotel.

The public consultation offered members of the public the opportunity to feedback on the plans to turn the ground floor of the building into a 69-bed Travelodge hotel.

The scheme would introduce around 70 new flats over the first, second and third floors of the complex.

Resident Susan Wallace said that she thought the idea was 'brilliant'.

"I worked here for eight years in Klass and we came when it opened and bit by bit all the shops have gone," she said. "It would be lovely to see it put to proper use and I am sure it will benefit Kendal."

It is anticipated that the new hotel would create 21 new jobs, welcome approximately 36,000 visitors a year and generate more than £720,000 per year for the local area

Ruth Counsel, who has lived in Kendal for 13 years, told the Gazette: "I have felt for a long time that something has to be done about this 'white elephant' as everybody calls it," she said.

"I am sure that it would be very useful for the town. It would be very useful to have more spaces to stay."

Opened in July 2010, K Village was built on the site of the former K Shoes factory by developers Kendal Riverside Ltd.

But it had problems attracting and retaining tenants and went into administration in 2012 with debts of £68million.

The centre was run by administrators at KPMG and bought by Lou Kendal for an undisclosed sum in 2015.

Director of Lou Kendal Miles Allen said that the building had not been the success it was meant to be.

"I think that we always had a vision to put the 'village' back into K Village," he said. "And by creating a hotel with a Costa with an independent restaurant, gym, office space and obviously plenty of residential accommodation we are going quite a long way to creating the village."

Feedback will be assessed and the aim is to submit a planning application in July.

It is anticipated that work on K Village would start immediately on receipt of planning approval and Mr Allen said he hoped it would be open by August 2020.