WORK on a new Travelodge in Poole is well under way with the bones of the structure giving residents their first taste of how the 125-bed hotel will appear.

The £8million development is under construction next to Asda on Holes Bay Road. It is set to be one of the town’s biggest hotels, and expected to create 40 new jobs.

Set on a key regeneration site it will be spread over four floors above new restaurants and bars, and could boost the local economy by £2m a year when it opens towards the end of 2015.

Poole tourism manager Graham Richardson welcomed the development as “positive news for Poole.” He added: “Travelodge are pushing forward with an extensive investment programme around the country and the decision to build in Poole shows the high levels of confidence that they have in the resort. As a national operator they should be able to generate much new business for the town from their loyal customer base adding to the overall occupancy levels, as well as complimenting the range of hotel accommodation that we already have.”

The new hotel is one of 15 being opened across the country this year as part of a £100m investments by the chain.

Travelodge says the location is ideal for the railway station, Dolphin Centre and seafront. The hotel will fit in with a new look being rolled out across the chain as part of a £100m modernisation.

All rooms will have king-size Travelodge Dreamer beds and family rooms will have space-saving ‘truckle beds’ whose bases can be used for storing luggage.

The move has been welcomed by Chancellor George Osborne, who said: “The expansion of a great British brand like Travelodge within a growing hotel and leisure industry in the UK, is fantastic news.

“Travelodge’s expansion is not just reliant however on tourists as increased demand from business customers and families have also boosted growth.”

Planning permission for the Poole hotel was granted in 2011 after a the previous waterfront development became a victim of the recession.

The site was to become a new headquarters for Barclays, which after planning permission was granted, announced in 2008 that it could no longer afford to move.