Hotel brings in 80 jobs

A budget hotel and two restaurants have been given the go-ahead at a Stafford retail park, bringing around 80 jobs to the town.

And the last unit at The Hough Retail Park off Lichfield Road has been let to two companies creating a further 50.

Planning officers have passed proposals for the £5.5 million scheme to build a Travelodge, Pizza Hut and KFC.

Developer Liberty Mercian intends to start work on the project in around two months. Phase one, the restaurants and 115-space car park, should be finished by September, with the 63-bed hotel due before Christmas.

The scheme will complete the £11 million retail park, where B&Q, Comet, Argos, ScS and Frankie & Benny's, which is housed in the Grade II listed New Hough building, were established last year and bring the overall jobs total to around 400.

Liberty Mercian director Chris Towers said: "We are delighted. It has taken a while but we got there in the end.

"The scheme will bring further hotel accommodation to Stafford, which the town is under pressure to provide, and in a more central location.

"It is a natural addition to the retail park and brings further investment to the town."

Electronics company Maplin and bed retailer Sleepmaster will occupy the retail terrace, the final unit on the site, which will be split into two.

Ward councillor for Forebridge Chris Baron is pleased by the continuing regeneration.

She said: "It is very positive for the area in terms of jobs and bringing the site back into use.

"My one reservation is that there were previously the most awful smells emanating from the sewers there.

"That has been fixed now, I just hope there is no repeat when the new work starts."

Travelodge, which has more than 300 hotels in the UK and Ireland, is in the midst of an expansion programme which will see this increase to 700 by 2020.

The hotel chain, which is the fastest growing in the UK, launched in 1985 opened 40 new hotels last year, including one in Redditch.