Seaside B&B in Scarborough could be converted into residential flats

An application seeking to convert The Kimberley bed and breakfast at 131 North Marine Road, into a five-bedroom residential building has been submitted to Scarborough Council.

The applicant is also seeking permission for the installation of six replacement windows.

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

Several applications seeking to convert holiday accommodation into residential housing have been submitted to the council in recent months – including The Kimberley’s next-door neighbour The Victoria Seaview Hotel – with many citing the effects of Covid-19 and the presence of larger chain hotels.

The application states 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, but the owner felt “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”.

As part of the consultation, Scarborough Council’s residential regulation manager said: “The means of escape from the bedroom of the proposed ground floor and first floor flat is through the kitchen which is not acceptable. An alternate means of escape will need to be identified.”

The application is currently being considered by the local planning authority.