Plans for new hotel

Travelodge has unveiled proposals to build a new hotel with more than 40 bedrooms on empty land next to a popular pub in Heath Hayes.

The firm has submitted plans to Cannock Chase Council to build a 41 bedroom hotel on open land next to the Newhall Farm Inn in Lichfield Road.

Work would start in the summer if planning permission is granted but officials at Travelodge are not expecting to know whether they have the all-clear to build the development for another three months.The application comes just two months after Ramada opened the doors of its 12-storey hotel two miles away in Churchbridge.

Nick Jenkins, town planning consultant for Travelodge, said: "The plans have only just been submitted so it would be three months until they make a decision so work is likely to start in the summer."

He added: "Cannock is a place that's potentially going to be quite active and the main Lichfield Road can serve a lot of areas.

"The hotel would work with the public house so would not have any restaurant facilities of its own."

The hotel would share the pub's car park and access would remain the same.

The land, bought by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries when the pub was built, is not being sold to Travelodge but an agreement exists between the hotel firm and breweries with regard to building hotels next to pubs.