Keswick guest house granted ‘flexi let’ permission from Lake District National Park Authority

A guest house owner in Keswick was given the green light this week to run their tourism business flexibly.

Emma O’Rourke applied to the Lake District National Park Authority for change of use permission for Cragwood Guest House at 44 Blencathra Street.

On Wednesday, the application went before the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control panel, sitting in Kendal.

National park planning officer Kelsey Blain told the committee that the applicant wanted to operate flexibly as either a guest house or short-term holiday let.

Keswick Town Council had objected to the application on the grounds that it would lead to the loss of another property capable of residential occupancy, and the lack of on-site management.

Their concern is that on-site management can help keep a check on disturbances by guests during whole house takeovers.

Ms Blain told the committee that the application was backed by national park policies relating to tourism accommodation.

She said there is no rule compelling such business owners to provide on-site accommodation for managers.

However, in granting permission for the change, a condition of the decision will allow a manager to live on-site, if the applicant so chooses.

National park committee member Andy Pratt, a Conservative councillor for Millom on Cumberland Council, told the panel: “I would like to propose that we accept the officer’s recommendation and give it dual permission to be a guest house or a holiday let. It gives them the opportunity, if they want to run it as a guest house or a holiday let, that they don’t then have to come back.”