There will soon be lots of room at the inn for visitors to Somerset Village. The owner of Loyalty Inn has been granted planning permission to build seven new tourist units.

The units will be built on the doorstep of the 100-year-old Somerset pub and listed building ? now known as Salt Rock Grill ? and will soon have a pool and deckchairs adjoining its eastern wall.

Paragon Trust applied in January for final planning approval to build seven new tourist units and a reception area at No. 27 Mangrove Bay Road, Sandys.

Loyalty Inn?s owner Dennis Vickers said he was very happy the Development Applications Board (DAB) approved the plan and hoped to start on the $1.5 million project by February. Salt Rock Grill will not have to shut down during construction.

?It?s good for Somerset Village. And it will be good for Salt Rock Grill because they will have guests to serve who are staying on a permanent basis.?

Mr. Vickers predicted the new guest homes would give a boost to tourism in Somerset Village.

?I think people are looking for smaller establishments.?

He did not predict when the development would be finished, but said he hoped to be finished after six months.

?The Loyalty Inn has an inn now,? he quipped.

Terron Thompson, acting as agent for Vision Design and Drafting, told the Department of Planning on January 10 that the proposal involved adding a two-storey structure consisting of seven tourist units, a reception area, conference room and pool house adjacent to the existing Loyalty Inn.

Mr. Thompson mentioned the proposal had overwhelming support from the Department of Tourism, who said the development would be beneficial to tourism and bring additional revenue to Somerset Village.