A controversial plan for the conversion of a Keswick guest house into shared accommodation for hotel workers is set for approval despite opposition from residents and the town council.
The application, submitted by hotel company Mawdsley Bleacher Ltd to the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA), seeks to change the use of Harvington House, 19 Church Street, Keswick, from a guest house to a HMO to house up to eight members of staff from its nearby hotels.
In a report to go before the LDNPA's Development Control Committee on November 5, Head of Development Management Kevin Richards and area planner Phil Nicholls recommend the scheme be approved
Harvington House, an end-terrace property operated as a guest house for more than 30 years, already has permission for flexible use as a guest house, holiday let or private home, but the owners are retiring and have been trying to sell the property for over 18 months.
Mawdsley Bleacher Ltd said the conversion was needed to address a 'constant struggle to find and house staff'.
Similar permission was recently granted to another hotel company to convert Eden Green guest house on Blencathra Street to staff accommodation.
Keswick Town Council objected to the Harvington House plan, citing residents' complaints about noise and antisocial behaviour linked to unmanaged short-term lets.
The town council submitted a 'Holiday House Nuisance Report' tracking 29 incidents across back-street residential areas.
"The need to provide staff accommodation for local hotel workers is appreciated", the town council said, "but this must be accompanied with on-site management.
"Without it, we risk repeating the problems that have affected nearby streets."
Three public objections were also received, arguing that guest houses are vital to the town's tourism economy and that their loss adds pressure on housing and parking.
But Mr Nicholls' report concludes the proposal would not harm Keswick's mix of accommodation or the amenity of neighbours.
"The evidence submitted by the Town Council relates to holiday letting, not HMOs," he wrote.
"A HMO occupied by people living and working locally is materially different from a holiday let used by short-term visitors."
He added that the eight-bedroom property's existing intensity of use, and the lack of any external alterations, meant no significant increase in noise, parking demand or flood risk.
Environmental health, highways and housing officers raised no objections, though any HMO housing five or more people will require a licence from Cumberland Council.
If approved, the permission would require occupants to have a local connection - defined as people working or previously employed in Keswick and surrounding parishes - and the home could not be used for holiday letting.
The LDNPA committee will consider the recommendation at its meeting on November 5.