Shanklin Seaside Town Hotel To Be Converted Into Home

Retiring Isle of Wight hoteliers have been given permission to turn their Shanklin hotel into a house.

Mr and Mrs Webster, who have run the Edgecliffe Hotel for 25 years, have been granted planning permission to give their property a new residential use.

The nine-bed hotel is “no longer financially viable” and the Websters are looking to retire, according to their agent, the Andrew White Planning Consultancy.

A statement submitted by the consultancy said:

“In terms of design and appearance to the exterior of the property, the application will give rise to little in the way of changes which will be confined to the removal of the hotel advertisement signage.

“With operational costs, a downturn of trade providing poor returns and a stagnant commercial market which has been tested with a realistic marketing exercise since September 2023.

"With no buyers coming forward despite price reductions and a change in marketing agents, it is clear this business is on a downward trajectory with little prospect of it being turned around.”

Explaining their approval of application 25/00824/FUL, planners wrote:

“It has been demonstrated that the existing hotel/guest house use is no longer viable and therefore the change of use to an alternative residential use as a single dwellinghouse can be supported in principle.

“The hotel trading accounts show that for the last three years the business has made a loss. Officers would therefore agree that currently there is no business to give confidence to lenders.

"This, in combination with the marketing evidence, would indicate the continued use of the property as a hotel would be unlikely in the current economic climate.”