Locals in seaside city slam ‘overdevelopment’ plan for beloved ‘residence from residence’ lodge | UK | News | EUROtoday

Residents in a UK city have hit out at plans to show a well-liked seaside lodge right into a dozen flats for holidaymakers, describing it as “inappropriate” and an instance of “overdevelopment”. Langley Hotel in Whitby was put in the marketplace for £850,000 in 2023 and after being scooped up by a developer, planning permission was granted for its conversion right into a block of vacation flats. Approval for the mission was given despite quite a lot of objections from locals, with the city’s civic society warning the council that it was agreeing to an “overdevelopment of the site [creating] noise nuisance and parking issues”.

Alongside the planning software, the developer submitted paperwork demonstrating that “if the hotel were to continue to be used by the new proprietor under its current use, [it] would be a loss-making venture”. The conversion from a lodge to vacationer lodging did not characterize a serious change in use, the council concluded, however the everlasting lack of the beloved native enterprise would additionally imply “excessive noise and disturbance from the increase in occupants [and] parking issues”, Whitby locals stated.

Plans to show it from a six-bed lodge into 12 vacation lets would replace and modernise the property, which is badly in want of a roof alternative, the developer stated, with every room together with “an en-suite, a seating area and [a] tea point”.

“The works will help to preserve the property on this important and impressive street and the internal refurbishment will enhance the property and ensure that it appeals to holidaymakers to provide longevity to secure the building’s future,” they added.

The Langley, which first opened as a boarding home in 1854, has a five-star ranking on TripAdvisor, with current guests dubbing it “the best B&B in Whitby”. “There will never be another Langley,” one individual wrote. “Whatever [the current owners] do in the future, [I] hope it works out for you both.”

“Everyone gets a warm welcome here and nothing it seems is too much trouble for the hosts,” one other visitor stated. “This is the place we go to that relaxes us the moment we set foot through the door, a real home from home.”

One resident additionally wrote to the council to counsel that the location needs to be repurposed as “affordable housing” somewhat than capitalising in town’s rising reputation with vacationers.

Whitby, a fantastic slice of the Yorkshire coast with fairly cobbled streets and hyperlinks to literary legends together with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, was ranked among the many UK’s most overcrowded vacationer spots by HeyDiscount final 12 months.

The examine discovered that the small city, which solely has a inhabitants of 12,500, had over 1,800 vacation lets, with home costs additionally standing at round £263,697 – considerably increased than the regional common.