Construction of a £5 million hotel development has started, creating new jobs and transforming a vacant site in Sandwell.
Councillor Steve Eling, leader of Sandwell Council, officially launched the start of work on the 78-bed Travelodge development at Providence Place, West Bromwich.
He was joined by director Andy Elwell, and development director Jon Hinton, both of leading commercial property developers and contractors, Hinton Group, to mark the beginning of the project which will create more than 100 jobs.
The new hotel will be a welcome boost to the regeneration of the town, transforming a brownfield site located next to the West Bromwich Building Society’s new headquarters.
Last year saw the expansion of Hinton, with the debut of its contracting arm which successfully completed an 83-bedroom Travelodge on programme at a high-traffic location in Oxford.
Hinton Group, based in Bromsgrove, is working closely with Travelodge amongst other leisure and retail occupiers, to deliver new developments at key locations across the region including recently agreed schemes in Dudley, Telford and Bromsgrove.
Andy Elwell, who has led the development of over 70 Travelodge hotels with more than 6,000 bedrooms, said: “It’s exciting to see the Travelodge development in West Bromwich get underway, providing the town with a much-needed facility in a key location. I am sure it will be a welcome addition to the regeneration of West Bromwich town centre and also a convenient hub in its prime location with direct access to the M6/M5 links and Birmingham city centre. We expect work to be completed in Q2 2017.”
The hotel will create 25 full and part-time jobs when built, while more than 80 jobs will be created during construction, he added.
Sandwell Council’s planning committee approved the scheme recently.
Welcoming the beginning of work on the development, Councillor Steve Eling said: “This is great news for Sandwell. The Travelodge will create new jobs for local people, complement the adjacent office buildings and contribute to the ongoing regeneration of West Bromwich town centre.”
Travelodge’s UK development director Tony O’Brien said: “We are delighted to have secured such a prominent site in the heart of West Bromwich. The new Travelodge will form part of the recently opened Providence Place development, adjacent to West Bromwich Building Society’s new HQ and 50m from BT’s new Regional Business Centre. The site also adjoins the A41 and so will be easy to find and access and provide quick, direct connections to the M5.
“There has been massive regeneration of West Bromwich’s town centre in the last few years, with millions of pounds having been invested in new retail, restaurant and entertainment facilities, the new college campus and leisure centre and lots of new flats and houses. The new Travelodge will now provide great quality, value accommodation for business and leisure customers visiting the town and surrounding area.
“The Travelodge will be comfort cooled and have on-site car parking and a bar cafe, but, with over 60 shops, 14 restaurants and cafes and the Odeon Cinema and Pure Gym all less than a 10-minute walk from the hotel, we suspect many of our customers will want to enjoy the new town centre facilities.”
West Bromwich town centre has undergone significant development in recent years, including the opening of the New Square Shopping Centre and Tesco, as well as hundreds of homes.