You have seen Lenny Henry kipping in King's Cross station, on a beach and in the grounds of a castle during a wedding in Premier Inn adverts.

The slumbering stand-up might be able to add an "unloved" part of Tolworth to his list of dozing destinations if new plans get the go-ahead.

The hotel chain's owners, Whitbread Plc, have asked Kingston Council for permission to demolish Tolworth Garage in Kingston Road and build a five-storey, 118-room hotel.

It is one of several planning applications that, combined, would see significant new development in an area that sits on a key A3 junction and is just 32 minutes from Waterloo by rail.

The potential addition of 700 new homes built by Tesco, Lidl's relocated UK headquarters and four new high-rise blocks near the iconic Tolworth Tower - plus the hotel - would change the face of the district.

And earlier this year Mayor of London Boris Johnson suggested the A3 at Tolworth could be sunk underground, a move he claimed would "unlock surface space" and increase traffic capacity.

Planning documents said a four-storey extension to the proposed Premier Inn "could be added" later depending on Whitbread's future commercial need.

Axiom Architects said in a design statement: "The immediate context [of the current site] feels disjointed, unloved, and without a sense of place or distinct style as a reference.

"The railway bridge is formed of a brutal form of concrete which creates a natural break from the north residential area leaving the site exposed.

"[There is an] opportunity to design a building of interest, that provides a spark to the area and of high architectural merit."

Axiom said its building would create a "regenerative counterpoint" to the area's current state.

Residents have until Friday, August 21, to tell Kingston Council what they think of the plans.