Council approves conversion of Scarborough hotel into care home

Lincoln Hotel, 112 Columbus Ravine, is set to become a care home for adults with learning disabilities.

The application, submitted by Charlie Whitelaw of Comfy Care Homes, proposes converting the building which is arranged over three storeys.

The care home provider said in its application that it would also install a disabled access ramp to the front of the property.

According to a report by Scarborough Council, the care provider Comfy Care Homes is “an established provider registered by the Care Quality Commission) and listed by North Yorkshire County Council”.

The ground floor is “fully accessible” and is set to accommodate the kitchen, dining room, lounge and a DDA-compliant bedroom and a wetroom, while the first and second floors will have a further nine bedrooms with en-suite facilities.

The report adds that the care home will have up to six residents with more than 10 members of staff to provide around-the-clock care.

Multiple objections to the report were made by members of the public as well as the council’s tourism services.

The authority’s licensing service received nine letters of objection from members of the public citing concerns about the loss of a “viable hotel house close to tourist attractions” and the impact of the conversion “in terms of noise and disturbance”.

An objection was also lodged by Scarborough Council’s Tourism Service which said that the plan does “not support the visitor economy strategy, which focuses on increasing visitor volume and value”.

The service added that the loss of visitor accommodation in a “key tourist area” would result in reduced bedspaces “which are required to support the strategy”.

However, the hotel’s owner stated that they were in support of the change of use as they were “unable to recruit the appropriate staff to manage and operate the hotel for the 2022 summer season”.

The council’s report concluded that as “the area has seen an increase in new purpose-built hotel accommodation in recent years, including two Premier Inns” the loss of the guest house “is not likely to significantly affect the supply of this type of accommodation in the locality to meet demand”.

The plan was approved by Scarborough Council on Friday, January 6.