THE team behind a new 100 bedroom hotel planned for Bridgwater says it is pleased with the progress the site is making.

Work is now well underway at Eastover on the brand new Mercure Hotel. Following the demolition of the existing building and removal of rubble, work on the hotel can truly get underway.

Deepak Chainrai, of DC Hotels Bridgwater said the £9m four-star hotel, which will feature a restaurant, bar, car park and two commercial units, should be complete by the third quarter of 2017.

Project manager Chris Cahill said: "We have made a great amount of progress considering there were some difficulties during construction.

"The asbestos survey meant construction had to be delayed but we are through that now.

"Once the piles go in, the slabs should arrive and the initial frame will go up during the first few weeks of October, and hopefully the shell of the building will be in place in January."

Mr Cahill explained how over the next two weeks the metal fencing currently surrounding the site will be replaced by 2.4m high hoardings.

He also said the team were planning on having a number of schools come along for supervised visits during the construction to learn all about the industry and what it takes to build a hotel.

Chris Garcia, chief executive of the Heart of the South West Partnership, the group which has invested £4m in the project, said he was pleased to see how well things were progressing.

"A hotel of this type will be an asset to the whole area and we are delighted to see the progress that has been made," he said.

"Six months ago the old buildings were still standing, and the team managed to navigate around the few technical problems that arose extremely well."

The hotel investment would clearly benefit from the development of Hinkley C, and Mr Garcia said the Heart of the South West Partnership had been disappointed to see the government delay the decision on Hinkley once more.

"We are obviously disappointed at this further delay, but those involved in the partnership have shown great patience. We have written a letter to Greg Clark urging him to make this decision as soon as possible," Mr Garcia said.

"This uncertainty is no good for businesses. Hinkley would not just be a major asset for this area, it would be a major asset for the whole country."

Anne Fraser from Sedgemoor District Council was also in attendance and voiced her support for the hotel.

"I think it is a wonderful thing, not only for Bridgwater but for the whole area," she said.

"The quality eatery will offer something different that I hope people will enjoy, and I believe this will mean will people will stop in Bridgwater and take in all the things there are to do here rather than passing through."

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