Council approves partial conversion of Grade-II Listed Whitby shop into holiday let in ‘historic town centre’

Nik Hill’s application to convert the floors above the Baytree Interiors retail unit into a holiday let has been approved by the council.

The site is made up of three main floors of which the ground floor and basement will continue to be used for retail and storage purposes.

Located at 16 Bridge Street, Whitby, the early 19th-century building forms part of a row of commercial properties within the “historic core” of Whitby town centre and near the Whitby swing bridge over the River Esk.

Currently, the basement is used for storage, with retail spread over the ground and first floors, whilst the second floor has a rear room that forms part of the third floor’s residential accommodation.

However, the applicant has stated that “a large, multi-floor retail premises is no longer required and the residential unit cannot be utilised as it has no separation from the retail areas”.

A report by the planning authority states that there is an existing passageway to the side of the building which will provide access to the upper floors of the building separate from the retail unit.

However, the applicant will also “insert two doorways within the passageway to facilitate access to upper levels, a bin store, and a fire exit to serve the basement”.

No objections were received from Whitby Town Council, the Highway Authority, or members of the public.

The planning authority’s report notes that due to “an economic climate where many high street retail properties are struggling”, the loss of retail space was considered acceptable.

In order to protect the amenity of nearby residential properties the council decided to impose several conditions.

The conditions included limiting the number of guests at the property to 10 adults as well as requiring that “a local agent or representative of the landlord be contactable during hours of occupancy by the guests in the event of complaints or incidents”.

The planning authority concluded that “the proposal will add to the range of tourist accommodation available to tourists in Whitby”.

The conversion was approved subject to conditions on Monday, July 3.