A new application for a Travelodge on the Parade in Epsom is due to be considered by the council's planning committee tomorrow night, Thursday, January 19.

If accepted, the Comrades Club on the site will be demolished with a Travelodge providing a new location for the club.

It is the third time the company has tried to get approval for its plans, in the face of significant opposition from many residents, and this time has scaled back the number of bedrooms to 77.

While the Comrades Club and business community have lent their support to the project, an earlier planning application for a hotel with 85 beds was refused in July 2009 because it was felt the building would be too large and would exacerbate existing parking problems in the town.

Last September Storm Land and Estates reduced the number of beds to 82, but a decision on those plans was deferred to give councillors and developers more time to fine tune proposals.

The latest plan has received 27 letters of objection and a petition signed by 70 people.