Inside Peterborough's Hilton Garden Inn as pigeon droppings are cleared for hotel with bird's-eye views

The nine-storey building on the banks of the River Nene at Fletton Quays has stood untouched by construction workers for three years during which it has become infested with pigeons and has been open to the inclement weather.

But now the new owners, Peterborough- based Leisure & Co Hotel Ltd, have vowed to have the 160-bedroom hotel completed and open to guests by next summer.

And according to an inside source, the condition of the hotel is not that much of a headache.

The extensive pigeon droppings have all been cleaned up and work has already been under way for some months in preparation for the sale of the building.

Most of the walls are already covered in plasterboard and it is estimated that about 75 per cent of the work that needs to be done is already completed.

Customer lift carriages are apparently already in place although there are doubts that a proposed glazed lift to run outside the building will be a feature.

It raises a question mark over earlier estimates that completion of the building would cost in the region of £14 million.

That the construction of the hotel is so far advanced hotel should not come as too much of a surprise.

A topping out ceremony in what will be the hotel’s roof-top bar was held for civic leaders in April 2022 with guests shown an array of completed rooms.

At the ceremony, Steve Cassidy, managing director, UK and Ireland, Hilton, told guest: “The aim is to open the doors in January 2023 - so we are not that far away.”

Now the new owners are focused on opening the hotel by next summer.

A spokesperson for Leisure & Co Hotel Ltd said: “This represents a significant investment in Fletton Quays, and we look forward to welcoming guests to the hotel next year.

Paul Blackmore, vice president, development, UK & Ireland, Hilton, said: “We’re excited to see Hilton Garden Inn Peterborough moving forward and to reaffirm our commitment to this important project.

"We’ve long believed in the opportunity here and are pleased to see the project take this important step closer to delivery.”