Scarborough’s Grade-II Listed Hotel Catania proposed for holiday let conversion as B&B is ‘unviable’

The Grade-II Listed Hotel Catania on Queen’s Parade in Scarborough could be converted into holiday accommodation.

The application by Wayne Thompson of Inspire Property UK Ltd is seeking approval for the conversion of the seafront building.

The applicant said that rising costs and reduced income from the hotel’s operation as a bed and breakfast had led it to request conversion.

The hotel’s income had been supplemented by hosting training courses for several years but since that supplementary income had ended, the bed and breakfast income alone was “not sufficient for the business to continue to operate”.

The proposed development would include a full internal refurbishment to facilitate an “efficient use of available space” including the construction of new doorways and removal of some partition walls.

The building, in Scarborough’s conservation area, is situated between Queens Parade and North Marine Road and is located around 700m northwest of the town centre.

Approval of the plans would see the replacement of plastic rainwater goods with cast iron, as well as the replacement of windows, installation of solar panels on the roof, and the creation of a basement flat.

The hotel manager had resided in a top-floor flat but “health issues mean that climbing the stairs is challenging” and thus the applicant said they were proposing moving it to the basement.

An overview of the hotel’s financial performance, according to submitted documents, reveals that after the end of Covid-19 grants and additional income from hosting training courses, the business had made a loss.

The document states that “2024 is forecast to make a significant loss with only bed and breakfast income”.

It adds: “The cost of utilities, food, and labour has increased at a faster rate than the prices we can charge for rooms and significant investment is needed to prevent the building from falling into a poor state of repair.”

The applicant noted that conversion into holiday lets would reduce some labour costs as “there is no requirement for breakfast or bar service to be provided”.

The proposal is currently pending consideration with the local planning authority.