A NEW hotel and car park is to lead the transformation of a neglected area of Bolton blighted by prostitution and crime.

The 80-bed Travelodge and 353-space multi-storey car park will be built in Merchants Place in River Street after Bolton’s planning committee yesterday gave it the go-ahead.

Councillors were told that the area had suffered from years of neglect and under investment.

But developer The Charles Topham Group, which has offices in Merchants Place, said the budget hotel and car park would serve thousands of businesses and their clients that the council hopes to attract to the town.

Simon Pemberton, the company’s group planning manager, said: “The development is an important next step in the regeneration of Merchants Quarter. It’s exactly the sort of facility Bolton needs to attract new offices and investment to allow it to compete with other towns.”

Cllr Mohammed Ayub said: “This is a step forward. The area has been neglected in the past. We all know how it has been used with street girls and the like.”

Cllr David Wilkinson agreed. He said: “The developer should be congratulated for having the bottle to invest in a part of Bolton that has a very chequered past.

“It’s clear that there will be a market for this kind of hotel, possibly even more if others have the same degree of enthusiasm and see this site as a major opportunity.”

The hotel will have six floors with a 40-seat restaurant and a 27-space car park for guests.

A seven storey multi-storey car park would be built next to the Travelodge and serve as a car park for office workers and an overspill for guests.

It would be open 24-hours a day, but not to the general public.

Cllr Nick Peel said the hotel was ideally placed, close to the A666 St Peter’s Way, to attract business travellers.

He said: “It will add to the attractiveness of the area for vehicles coming off the motorway.”

River Street would be pedestrianised as part of the proposals and a slip road built to link St Peter’s Way to nearby Breightmet St where a multi-storey car park for public use is also planned.

Speaking after the committee’s unanimous approval, Mr Pemberton said: “I’m very pleased because it was key to the next phase of regeneration which is to accommodate significant commercial development close to the town centre’s amenities.”

The site is currently a 100-space surface level private car park.