Formal plans for a new £50million five-star hotel on Plymouth Hoe will be submitted in the next few weeks, The Herald can reveal.

Father and son property developers John and Chris Henley say blueprints for the flagship 1620 project, replacing the demolished Quality Hotel in Cliff Road, are almost ready to be sent to council bosses.

Chris told The Herald: “We remain on track to submit the application this month, and will be releasing a full press release upon the submission of our application.”

If approved, the 60-bedroom hotel, spa and panoramic penthouse could be completed by the end of 2019.

Deputy council leader Patrick Nicholson said: “A lot of work has been done buying the site and demolishing the old hotel.

“Pre-application discussions have taken place about the detail, so I welcome the news that they will be submitting their application shortly.

“We hope it will be out for public consultation and then agreed by the council in the near future.”

Cllr Nicholson says he is pleased the project is progressing smoothly so far.

“It is a challenging site because it is so prominent, the hotel needs to blend in with the natural vista of the Hoe, so we are very much hoping the Henley proposal meets with the approval of the wider public,” he added.

The hotel would hold a “modern atrium reception” and a first floor conference facility for up to 250 people, which would open out onto a large terrace.

There would also be a top-floor fine-dining restaurant and a bar, gym and spa inside the hotel.

Alongside the hotel, there would be a separate tower comprising 80 bespoke apartments in a slightly taller building.

The flats and hotel would be linked, with residents in the apartments able to use the hotel facilities.

The buildings’ frontage is designed to reflect movement in wave form and currently the plan would be to make the panels with anodized aluminum.