WORK has started on a new £9 million hotel which is set to act as a ‘trigger’ and ‘symbol of change’ in Bridgwater.

The development was started last week in Eastover with the developers, D C Homes and Investments, joined by representatives of Sedgemoor District Council (SDC), Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), builders, the demolition company and architects behind the scheme meeting for a ceremony to mark the official launch of the project on the site, which was formerly occupied by the Co-operative store.

The derelict site will feature a hotel with more than 100 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar and car parking.

There will also be two commercial units that could be used for shops or cafes.

The four-star hotel is part of a broader plan for a Celebration Mile, linking the station and the docks planned by the authorities.

Deepak Chainrai, of DC Homes and Investments, said: “This is an important day for our company, our town and our district.

“We are thrilled to see the project get underway at last as it has been an ambition of ours for a long time to bring this kind of quality facility to Bridgwater.”

Cllr Anne Fraser, from SDC, said: “We have been pleased to work closely with Deepak and the Local Enterprise Partnership to get this project off the starting blocks.

“The project comes at a time of enormous change for the town and will act as a trigger and a symbol of that change.

“It demonstrates how the district is ready to seize with both hands the opportunities that developments such as Hinkley Point C present.”

Heart of the South West Partnership chairman, Steve Hindley, said the project would bring jobs and more to the town.

“I am delighted to see work start on the Eastover Hotel development, it’s an important landmark in our delivery of transformational projects across the HotSW area that will boost the local economy and generate new jobs through our success with the Growing Places Fund,” he said.

“I look forward to seeing the work progress to create a fit for purpose, modern hotel and commercial units, which will be crucial to the area with the forthcoming development of the nearby Hinkley Point C project.”