The increasing trend for guesthouses in Keswick to be changed into holiday lets is to be monitored by the Lake District National Park Authority ahead of the next review of the Local Plan.
In the meantime the authority is to write to Keswick Town Council suggesting that it has an opportunity to produce a neighbourhood plan covering the issue although it would take up a lot of resources and officers’ time.
Cllr Tony Lywood, a member of the town council, told members of the LDNPA’s park strategy and vision committee that there was not an appetite for this approach from the people of Keswick as there was already a Local Plan in place which was adopted only last year.
The meeting was told that since Mr Lywood had raised the holiday let issue in March, the authority’s Housing and Employment Working Group had met to consider the evidence to date and to “propose the appropriate next steps”.
The meeting was told that following the adoption of the Local Plan, Keswick Town Council had become increasingly concerned about the number of change of use applications from guest houses to holiday let accommodation within the town.
The council is concerned about the social and environmental impact on the town when management is off site. It maintains that each change of off site management results in the loss of a family home which can have a cumulative impact on houses available for local needs.
The town council also feels there is a sufficient number of holiday lets within the town and any further loss of C1 businesses (boarding houses, hotels and guest houses) reduces the diversity of accommodation.
It now consistently objects to such proposals when consulted on specific planning applications.
The meeting was told that in the monitoring period 2021-2022, there were 22 planning applications for change of use from guest houses to another use determined.
Fifteen have been approved for change of use of a guest house to a holiday let or self catering. The remaining seven applications have been approved for a change of use to a permanent residential use.
There are 14 change of use applications currently awaiting determination from a guest house to another use; 12 of these are changes of use to other types of holiday accommodation, of which 10 are in Keswick.
Another reason the town council is concerned is that, with no on-site control, it considers that there will be increasing instances of antisocial behaviour.
But the meeting was informed that Allerdale Borough Council has not noted an upturn in requests for their service from Keswick resulting from guest house conversions.
And data of anti-social behaviour crimes being reported in Keswick does not highlight any increasing trends.
But Ian Wharton described the situation as “the greatest threat to the park that we have at the moment and it’s increasing in urgency”.
Cllr Lywood said: “Rome is now burning and if we are looking to invest in vibrant communities then we are not going to have many left shortly and we are going to be left with ‘what are we going to do?’”
The meeting also agreed that the LDNPA continues to focus resources on delivering affordable housing, and continue the work on the second homes and holiday lets issue as identified.
