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24
Jun
Harrogate business centre set to be turned into flats
Plans have been drawn up to turn a landmark Harrogate office building used by more than 100 businesses into apartments.
An application has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council to convert Windsor House, on Cornwall Road, into 84 flats.
The building, the former Grand Hotel, is currently used as offices with around 115 businesses based at the site.
The proposed conversion would create 84 apartments with a mix of one, two and three bedrooms.
The prior approval application to the council seeks to change the use of the building from offices to dwellings under permitted development rights.
Although not a listed building, Windsor House is within Harrogate Conservation Area and is listed in the conservation area character appraisal as a landmark building.
Supporting documents say the change of use would not create any problems regarding transport and highways, heritage impact, contamination, flood risk or noise.
Agents for the applicants say the proposed development is likely to generate fewer vehicle trips than the building’s current use.
No changes are proposed to the exterior of the building.
The documents add:
The building overlooks Valley Gardens to the south and occupies a prominent position in the area, providing a recognisable and distinctive landmark within the vicinity.
The site is surrounded by predominantly residential development to the north, west and east, with a mixture of large detached, semi-detached and terraced dwellings in the vicinity.
The site is considered to be in a very sustainable location with excellent access to shops and services. The site is located within walking distance of various public transport options and within walking distance to all of Harrogate’s main services and amenities.
The 288-space car park at the site would be used by residents of the apartments.
A total of 92 cycle racks securely located in a dedicated bike store on level one of the building are also proposed.
Previous applications have been drawn up to change the use of the building to residential, with the last given approval in 2021 when 94 apartments were proposed.
Windsor House, which overlooks Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, was erected by the builder and developer David Simpson in 1903 as the Grand Hotel.
The hotel, which was used as a convalescent home for officers in the First World War, went into receivership in 1954 and it was later converted into offices.
In 2023, Boultbee Brooks described the premises as the town’s “single biggest business hub” and said the site had an occupancy rate of 90 per cent.
In the same year, a new co-working space, meeting area and café was opened on the former hotel’s ground floor.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted Boultbee Brooks for comment.
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