Plans to convert an 'empty and dilapidated' 32-bed hotel in St Lawrence into two houses as well as adding six tourism units on the grounds have been unveiled.
Turner Holiday Rentals submitted the plans to the Isle of Wight Council for the change of use of St Rhadagund’s hotel on Undercliff Drive, which has been vacant for the past five years.
Emergency work had to be carried out on the hotel roof recently to prevent water ingress.
Now to save the property further, the applicants are willing to invest to bring the eyesore site back into use by looking to return the hotel to its original residential use.
St Rhadagund’s was built in the 1870s for William Kilburn, a royal photographer, but was used as a holiday retreat from 1938 onwards.
Planning agents for the development, Plan Research, said in recent years the hotel has fallen into ‘disrepair’ due to ‘the financially unsustainable proposition of a two-star retreat centre operating from a large, old building with high running and maintenance costs’.
The building also needs new heating and electrical systems.
The current owners, Turner Holiday Rentals, bought the site in 2016 and underwent pre-application talks with the council but no plans were ever officially submitted.
Proposals now suggest going back to residential use, demolishing the rear wing and building six holiday units near the Seven Sisters Road entrance to the site in a courtyard setting.
The holiday units would have 18 bedrooms across the six semi-detached properties, built in an Edwardian style fitting in with the nearby St Rhadagund’s Cottages, and would fund the restoration and upgrades needed on the main building.
The agents say the tourism market for large hotels has dried up recently due to the Covid pandemic, with people preferring smaller holiday properties, which fell in line with the restrictions.
Justifying the development, Plan Research said: “A large building that is unused is more likely to fall into neglect than one used as a home.”
The hotel building will be split in two — creating a five-bed and a seven-bed house, one of which would be occupied by the owner of the site if the development goes ahead.
To view the proposals, 21/00905/FUL, you can view the council’s planning register.
Comments will be accepted until June 14.
Councillor Coy On Isle Of Wight Social Housing
Warning For Islanders Selling Vehicles To Be 'Scam Aware'
Bus Fares Set To Rise Following Council Meeting
Small Business Support Proposal Passed By Isle Of Wight Council
Five-Year Isle Of Wight Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty Plan Unanimously Approved
More Islanders Cross The Solent With Wightlink’s Discounted Fares For NHS Appointments
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance Funds Defibrillators For The Community
Isle Of Wight Council Budget Pressures Likely To Continue Following Autumn Statement
Council Approves Support Package To Help Islanders On Low Incomes
Isle Of Wight Councillor In Mental Health Priority Motion
Bird Keepers Urged To Remain Vigilant Following Increased Avian Influenza Risk
Island Pupils Receive Lesson In Road Safety That Could Save Lives
New Shanklin Flats Given Green Light
Joe Robertson Appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary For Shadow Culture, Media And Sport
Shanklin Company Making Nuclear Waste Sorting Safer, Greener And Cheaper
Five-Year Isle Of Wight Landscape Plan Decision On Horizon
Help Sought For Isle Of Wight's Struggling Small Businesses
Primary School Admissions For September 2025 Now Open
Island Families Invited To Take Tour Of St Mary's Special Care Baby Unit
Work To Sink Three Boreholes At Leeson Road Due To Finish This Week
