NATIONAL hotel chain, Travelodge, is investing £800,000 in the city creating an 18-room extension and five new jobs at its Ely hotel. The work on the new building at Witchford Road has won the backing of planners and will begin in June and take two months

NATIONAL hotel chain, Travelodge, is investing £800,000 in the city creating an 18-room extension and five new jobs at its Ely hotel.

The work on the new building at Witchford Road has won the backing of planners and will begin in June and take two months to complete.

The company, which has 300 budget hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain, claims there is a desperate need for low-cost accommodation in Ely.

"Our hotel experiences high levels of occupancy through the year and this extension will really help to meet the demand," said Ely Travelodge's manager, Claire Patterson.

"We are in an ideal location for business and leisure travellers who need quick and easy access to the town and its surrounding areas. We offer a comfortable room from as little as £15, which is the smart choice for any type of stop-over".

The project has been welcomed as "excellent news" by Ely Mayor Cllr John Ison.

He said: "More jobs are always good news and this also highlights the need for more accommodation for visitors. Eighteen rooms fill something of a gap but we definitely need a lot more."

Ely has officially become one of Britain's top tourist hot spots and tourism has overtaken agriculture as one of the area's major employers.

Developers have had talks with East Cambridgeshire District Council about plans for a hotel in Ely or Newmarket.

A council spokesman said: "We have had informal pre-application talks with a number of developers about bringing forward a hotel but no application has been made yet.