A 176 bedroom Premier Inn could soon be built on the derelict former Henry J Beans bar and job centre.

A consultation opened this week into plans to turn the long-empty building in The Broadway, Wimbledon, into a 176 bedroom Premier Inn hotel, creating 50 jobs and two family homes behind it on Griffiths Road.

The initial plan stated the hotel would be 149 bedrooms, but developer Whitbread is now proposing 176 rooms and a modern family restaurant.

August 2014: It is a good thing The Broadway in Wimbledon is changing say business experts - submit your views

The site used to be a job centre office and Henry J Beans restaurant.

The building has been an eye-sore for some time and police shut down Wimbledon’s first ever illegal rave on the empty site in November 2014.

Illegal rave shut down by police in Wimbledon town centre

Business improvement development manager at Love Wimbledon, Helen Clark Bell, said they needed to see the full proposals, but that the development would be a positive thing for The Broadway.

She said: “We need something to happen with that site, it’s been empty for a very long time.

“It’s very much a positive thing. We haven’t been privy to the exact plans, but I have met with Premier Inn and encouraged them to make plans so there can be real community engagement.”

Two public consultation exhibitions on the proposals will be held at the Mansel Road Centre in the Trinity United Reformed Church, Mansel Road, Wimbledon.

The exhibitions will run on Monday, February 15, from 3.30pm until 7.30pm, and on Tuesday, February 16, from 2pm until 6pm.

Enquiries can also be submitted to the community consultation team by email at Whitbread@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk or by telephone on 020 7630 3811.