Cheltenham reacts to luxury spa hotel plans for municipal offices

News has broken that the preferred bidder for Cheltenham's Grade II* municipal offices wants to turn the building into a luxury hotel and spa - but what do the town's businesses think about that?

Dear readers,

Welcome to Thursday’s Raikes - the day we usually send out a single story ahead of our full Friday edition.

And ‘yes’, we do often paywall the Thursday edition to help pay for what we do - but not today. We know a version of this news is out there. Or at least the press release is.

Insider Media was first to do Cheltenham Borough Council’s marketing for it this morning, posting the release from the local authority that announced a preferred bidder for its municipal offices had been found and that plans were to turn the building into a luxury hotel.

Other websites followed in quick succession, as if competing in some kind of race, but adding nothing new to the story - as exciting as it is at face value.

Had anyone spoken to anyone in the town about it?

‘Yes’, we have. After all, are they not the people who matter in all of this?

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