Scarborough seaside bed and breakfast to be converted into holiday flats

The conversion of a Scarborough bed and breakfast into holiday flats has been approved after the original application was amended due to concerns about the size of the proposed flats.

The applicant sought to convert The Kimberley bed and breakfast at 131 North Marine Road, Scarborough into a five flats as well as seeking permission for the installation of six replacement windows.

However, a report by North Yorkshire Council states that the application had to be changed from residential flats to holiday lets because the flats did not meet the Nationally Described Space Standards.

The report states: “The accommodation hereby permitted shall not be used for purposes other than holiday letting purposes.

“As originally submitted as residential flats, the sizes fell short of the guidance within the Nationally Described Space Standards and the units are inappropriate for permanent occupation as independent dwellings.”

Located near the town centre, the property is in an area with a high number of holiday lets.

No objections were received from members of the public although the authority’s environmental health officer raised concerns about the property’s fire escape plans and concluded that “an alternate means of escape will need to be identified” for the ground and first-floor flats.

The application stated that “the current owner has seen a lot of change in the area over this time and can see the visitors moving away from bed and breakfast accommodation to more self-contained accommodation and apartments”.

The building has been kept in good condition and has been run well as a bed and breakfast hotel, with many customers returning year after year, according to the applicant.

However, the owner feels that “it was time to retire and has seen a downturn in custom in recent years, meaning that both himself and his wife have had to take jobs to subsidise their income”.

Conditions set by the planning authority state that “for the purpose of this condition ‘holiday letting’ means letting to the same person, groups of persons or family for periods not exceeding a total of 28 days in any one calendar year”.

The conversion and changes were approved on Friday, April 14.