A £4 million Lake District development aims to tackle the area’s staffing crisis.
Watch This Space has spent the cash transforming the former Biscuit Factory in Windermere into a 25-bedroom home, with communal kitchens, lounges and a laundry room.
The cost for a double room starts at £215 a week, including bills, and is already attracting interest from a number of the area’s hotels.
Last year a survey by Cumbria Tourism, found 66% of hospitality and tourism businesses in the county were working below capacity because they did not have enough staff.
Developer Michelle Rothwell, founder of Watch This Space said she believed she has an answer to the problem.
Rothwell founded Watch This Space 10 years ago and has overseen a range of commercial, retail and residential developments across Manchester and the Lake District totalling more than £30 million.
She said: “I spent a lot of my childhood in the Lakes and I saw a lot of people move away because there was nowhere to live.
“The combination of Brexit and the explosion of holiday homes has reduced the amount of high quality, affordable accommodation in the Lake District even further.
“We want to provide accommodation in the Lakes that is beautiful and affordable to enable them to have a good quality life.
“Lake District Coliving is about so much more than the property. We’re going to put on events; open water swims; mountain walks etc in order to create a community. We’re super excited about it.
“Twenty four of the 25 rooms are doubles so it’s super affordable for couples.
“I did a viewing with somebody who moved to the Lakes and did a house share with a mate, but didn’t know anyone. She’s moving in because she’s got a community of people around her. We believe there is so much demand for this kind of accommodation.”
Michelle bought the three-storey building in 2023, which started life in the 19th century as a biscuit and cake works, supplying the likes of Fortnum & Mason. Each room in the building is named after a biscuit.
The development also includes 12 self-contained offices on the ground floor, more than half of which have already been pre-let.
Michelle said: “We’re really excited to be bringing a brand new concept to The Lakes and up the standard of accommodation on offer.
“We’re not signing people into long contracts. If they only want to stay for a couple of months they can. It’s about being flexible. We think when people move in, they won’t want to move out.”
