Work is underway on Leicester’s newest hotel.
A 67-bedroom Travelodge is being built in the heart of the city centre on top of the Haymarket Shopping Centre.
Leicester City Council is supporting the scheme after agreeing a £10 million support package for the hotel and improvements to the shopping centre and its car park.
It will be the latest in a growing list of hotels within the city, which include a new Novotel and Adagio on the Vaughan Way inner ring road, which are due to open in the next few weeks and provide 250 short and medium-stay rooms.
The Leicester Tigers rugby club also wants to build a 187 room hotel on the site of an NCP car park next to its Welford Road stadium.
The Haymarket project was delayed when the original contractors went into administration last year but now a new firm – NMCN – has been appointed to take on the job.
Work has also begun on the construction of two new lifts, which will provide access from Belgrave Gate to the new hotel and the refurbished Haymarket car park, as well as to the Haymarket Theatre – allowing people with disabilities to have full access to the whole building.
Both the hotel scheme and the new lifts are due for completion in August 2020.
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NMCN Operations director Nick Banks said: “We are delighted to start on this project in the centre of Leicester and to be part of the regeneration and economy of the area.”
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby visited the site to meet the contractors and see how works are progressing.
He said: “I’m very pleased that NMCN are now on site as the principal contractor and we’ll soon see some real progress on this scheme.
“Haymarket House has been vacant for years, so it’s really important that this high-profile site in the heart of the city centre is brought back into use.
“Leicester’s increasing appeal as a visitor destination means there’s growing demand for hotel accommodation in the city centre, so I’m pleased that this scheme is now back on track and will deliver 67 additional rooms in the very heart of the city.
“Our investment in this building will further invigorate the city centre, while providing a welcome boost to the council’s own finances.”
While Sir Peter has insisted the scheme is a sound use of council cash, critics have questioned the investment.
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The mayor said the project will support the regeneration of the key city centre site and the city council has secured a 125-year-lease on Haymarket House, sub-letting the refurbished building to Travelodge.
As part of the scheme the city council has carried out a £1.8 million refurbishment of the Haymarket car park, with new surfacing, wider parking spaces, new lighting and improved pedestrian walkways.
A new automatic number plate recognition system and improved CCTV security will also be installed as part of the refurbishment.
The city council has extended its lease on the car park – which is owned by Haymarket Property Ltd – until 2049.