Council rules out formal action over ‘possible’ change of use of Homemore, Scarborough, from hotel to hostel
North Yorkshire Council has said it will not be taking formal action against Homemore over the possibility that a ‘change of use’ of the hotel had occurred.
A council investigation has concluded that the temporary accommodation service provided at Homemore in Scarborough does not constitute a change of use from a hotel to a hostel.
The decision means that residents living in the Prince of Wales Terrace and Esplanade Gardens area will not be able to initiate formal action against the provider on that basis after complaints about antisocial behaviour led the council to launch an investigation and hold several public meetings.
Last year, residents said that the level of noise and antisocial behaviour in the area was a “nightmare” and a previous meeting was held in December 2023 to try to resolve some of the issues.
In a recent update sent to residents after the last meeting in July, the council said its investigation had looked into the use of The Maynard Hotel and the Redcliffe Hotel.
Officially, their use should be limited to that of a “hotel or as a boarding or guest house where, in each case, no significant element of care is provided”.
North Yorkshire Council’s planning team said: “There are currently some characteristics which could indicate the premises are operating as hostels however, this is not conclusive as to whether a ‘material’ change of use has occurred.”
Planners also found there was “some evidence of business being conducted for hotel use” such as “future bookings taken for leisure purposes”.
The council concluded that because the “characteristics mainly support the continued use of the premises as hotels” and based on its investigation to date, it did “not consider that a material change of use requiring planning permission” had occurred.
Speaking at last month’s meeting, Andrew Waggitt of Homemore said another site had been opened away from the area and that it was being used to cater for some of the former Redcliff clients.
He told residents: “We take everything you say very seriously and it is key to how we operate as a business and we have taken serious action since the last meeting.”
However, residents said they still had concerns about providing temporary accommodation services in a “primarily residential and tourist area” with many referencing Homemore’s provisions.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for housing, Andrew Rowe, highlighted that the council had a legal duty to help people experiencing homelessness and that failing to do so would lead to more people being forced to sleep rough.