A major scheme to knock down a food factory warehouse in Great Yarmouth and build a 68-bed Travelodge hotel, restaurant and drive-through Burger King and Costa Coffee units has been approved.
The bid for the development off Pasteur Road was agreed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council's development control committee.
The committee heard on Wednesday the bid had been put in by Pasteur Retail Park Ltd for the demolition of the Pasta Foods warehouse.
The approved plan includes a two-storey Travelodge hotel and a family pub/ restaurant to be located to the rear of the site on an area partly occupied by the long rectangular Pasta Foods warehouse and parking spaces.
The two drive-through units for Costa Coffee and Burger King will be located to the front of the site towards Pasteur Road.
A planning statement discussed on Wednesday stated: 'The applicant's agents state Travelodge, Burger King and Costa Coffee all already operate in Great Yarmouth and the new facilities will be additional operations. Not only will this create 100 new full and part-time jobs, but surely it is a vote of confidence for the town rather than a negative.'
The planning bid is part of plans by Pasta Foods to expand over the coming years and to aid this expansion it wants to sell the site with planning permission.
Planning documents stated: 'Pasta Foods need to invest in their Great Yarmouth factory and the value generated from this application will allow them to. Pasta Foods have confirmed that will they will sign a legal agreement
binding them to spend £500,000 in the factory on implementation of planning consent.'
One hotelier and the owner of the Market Gates Shopping Centre had sent in objections to the scheme.
A total of 36 letters of support from Pasta Foods employees were sent in, stating the need for 'future investment in the Pasta Foods business which in turn would help maintain the future of the company in Great Yarmouth'.
The committee had been to approve the scheme, which includes a new roundabout on Pasteur Road, subject to a condition Pasta Foods invest in its existing factory.
The site has seen three failed retail development bids since 2005.
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