WORK has started on a new £2.6million JD Wetherspoon pub and hotel in the heart of Dovercourt.

The popular pub chain was given permission to transform a derelict town centre building into a new inn and hotel by Tendring Council.

JD Wetherspoon bought the former Co-Op site, at 60 Kingsway, last year, and will spend £2.6million on the development.

A spokesman for the company confirmed that a total of 45 new full and part-time jobs will be created.

Features of the building, which have fallen into disrepair with the site left untouched for more than a decade, will also be restored as part of the work.

While the ground floor of the building will become a pub, the first floor will house ten hotel rooms, changing rooms, toilets and a staff room.

The pub is set to open on March 21 2017.

John Hutson, Wetherspoon chief executive, said: “We are looking forward to opening our new pub in Dovercourt.

“We are confident that people in the town will welcome the new pub and hopefully it will act as a catalyst for other businesses to invest in the area.

“We believe the new pub will be popular with a wide range of people.”

The pub will serve a wide selection of drinks, offer food from breakfast until closing time and will be completely music-free.

It will also feature a specially-adapted toilet for customers with disabilities.

Photos and information relating to the local history and characters of the area, as well as commissioned artwork, will be on display around the building.

The public is being asked to vote for the pub’s new name from a choice of The London Tavern, The Wheatsheaf or The Bottle Kiln.

The closing date for votes is Wednesday, October 26.

To vote, email hms.news@nqe.com with your preferred title.