Scarborough's 'Four in a Bed' B&B gets the go-ahead to become a mental health rehabilitation care home

A Scarborough bed and breakfast is to become a mental health rehabilitation care home for adults.
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Fountains Court, in Columbus Ravine, will be transformed into the 12-bedroom home after applicant Sean O’Hanrahan and London-based Horizon Integrated Rehabilitation Ltd were granted planning permission for a change of use by Scarborough Council.

According to supporting information provided to the council, Horizon is an “integrated mental health rehabilitation service that provides complete rehabilitation pathways for both female and male clients with mental health problems or related complex needs”.

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The documents from Horizon added: “The new clients would live together as a ‘family unit’, sharing the communal areas such as the living room, dining area and kitchen.

Fountains CourtFountains Court
Fountains Court

“These spaces would be used as areas for socialising, watching TV, preparing food and eating together. Each client also has a bedroom for their own specific use.

“The clients would take part in the running of the house as far as they are able, given their individual circumstances.”

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The clients will be both males and females aged between 18 and 65.

The plans were approved by Scarborough Council planning officers following a public consultation. The owner of a nearby B&B objected, stating that the change of use would have a “detrimental effect on [their] business”.

Fountains Court bed and breakfast gained fame nationally when it was featured on Channel 4 reality show Four in a Bed.

The guest house’s owner Helen Marriott said she was a “therapist first and a hotelier second” and branded Fountains Court as more than a bed and breakfast and aimed to improve the “holistic well-being” of its visitors.

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The plans for the change of use add that there has been a “decline in the nature of the current business”.

Horizon’s submission added: “We understand this to be due to the falling demand for bed & breakfast accommodation along Columbus Ravine [and] this proposal seeks to add a healthcare facility, which is in demand within the Scarborough area.”