A former business in Keswick changed into a short-term holiday let without permission, is now back before national park planners, with its owners hoping planners will allow that change to be made permanent.
Headquarters, at the junction of Blencathra Street and Myers Street, was formerly a hairdresser’s and had a short spell as a Thai massage parlour in 2019.
Park planners opened an investigation after the layout of the building was changed into residential accommodation between September 2021 and April 2022 without permission – with the intention of providing holiday rental accommodation.
Representatives for property owners, the Calam family, based in Leeds, are now seeking proper permission to make that switch official.
Planning agents Hough Tullett, of Windermere, have told the LDNPA that the applicant and their family already have an established family home in West Yorkshire, and the building is superfluous to them.
But its small size falls significantly short of being big enough for a home, while its size and location also means it is no longer viable as a place of employment after previous attempts are said to have failed.
The agents said: “On the above basis and given that the proposal will present a relativity unchanged visual aspect within the local townscape a change of use to holiday rental would be the most viable use for the building at the current time.”
Among the businesses considered were a pizza company, a carpet showroom, storage for a local company and a yoga studio, none of which proved practical, the applicants said. The building is believed to date back 160 years.
- Outline planning permission for four new dwellings and the formation of a new site access road together with associated external works, set in the gardens of Manor Glen, Ambleside Road, Keswick, has been lodged with the Lake District National Park Authority.
