Skip to content
‘Eden Project Morecambe will suffer if hotels are sold off as housing’ as seafront establishment hits the market
A Morecambe seafront hotel which has been put-up for sale must be kept as a tourism asset for the town’s regeneration around the Eden Project, a councillor has said.
Catherine Potter, a Labour councillor at lancaster-city-council>Lancaster City Council, has raised concerns about the future of the Morecambe Bay Hotel.
The 30-bedroom venue is for sale with an asking price of £750,000, according to information on-line from Right Move and agents Nationwide Business Sales. But £1million is expected, according to the details. The building could remain a hotel or, potentially, be turned into flats or houses of multiple occupancy, the information adds.
READ MORE: Eden Project Morecambe construction will finally begin – what we know so far
Coun Catherine Potter is a new city council cabinet member for the visitor economy. She spoke after seeing the sales details about the hotel, located on Marine Road Central.
The sales information says hotel demand is high for tourists and workers, such as those expected for the Eden Project. Further investment could see the hotel become one of Morecambe Bay’s ‘most prestigious holiday destinations’. However, another option could be converting the hotel into 14 flats or two large houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs), subject to a successful planning application.
Councillor Potter said: “While we are in desperate need of new housing, this is a prime site on the central seafront. When the Eden Project Morecambe arrives, we will need of high-quality hotel accommodation and the ongoing employment opportunities that will bring for local people.”
Regarding other uses, she said: “The possibility of the Morecambe Bay Hotel becoming houses of multiple occupancy or residential flats just doesn’t feel right, letting Morecambe down at a time when we should be preparing for an influx of visitors and turning our fortunes as a town around.”
Tourism and housing in Morecambe have been two key topics of debate at the city council in recent years. The Eden Project has raised hopes of significant wider tourism, leisure and property investment in the area.
But it has also raised questions about getting the right mix of accommodation including affordable housing, homes for Morecambe residents to buy and rent, and hotels and holiday lets for visitors.
Speaking shortly before the May local elections, Green Coun Caroline Jackson, then leader of Lancaster City Council and now deputy leader, said these type of questions would be among key priorities for the new council term.
Other councillors too, such as Labour’s David Whitaker, has raised questions around how to balance Morecambe’s future tourism and housing needs with the expected arrival of the Eden Project.
READ NEXT:
