A Lake District hotel has revealed plans for a major expansion and a bid to build 18 homes.
Starboard Hotels, which owns the Windermere Manor Hotel, has applied for permission from the Lake District National Park Authority to create an extra 70 bedrooms and create the estate, which it said would help address local housing shortages.
The hotel, between Ambleside and Bowness, currently has 35 bedrooms.
It also wants to create extra staff accommodation in a two-storey block, which would have three bedrooms. It said it was essential for attracting and retaining staff.
The 18 homes would be built at the south east of the site in three three-storey blocks and consist of two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments.
It would include 31 car parking spaces and communal land for residents.
The company said its planned 70-bedroom extension would generating additional overnight stays and tourism revenues.
It would be a new-build, on land north of the existing hotel and would be linked to it.
The firm said: “The hotel provides existing family and pet friendly accommodation and caters to the needs of guests with special needs, especially those who are blind or visually impaired.
“The new extension will allow the hotel to improve on and extend these facilities, with an emphasis on continuing to provide level, accessible accommodation for the visually impaired.”
The primary public and service access to the hotel would remain via the existing entrance off Rayrigg Road.
Windermere Manor Hotel was built in the 1850s as a private residence called Hammerbank.
It was built for watercolour artist Hubert Coutts and his wife Mary.
In 1897, the property was extended with a west wing, which included a family chapel, later repurposed as the hotel’s dining room.
In 1938, it was bought by Earl Peel and donated to the Lancashire Association of Boys’ Clubs as a holiday and training centre.
It is believed that during World War Two, it also served as a convalescent home for wounded servicemen. The property remained a youth centre until sold in 1987.
In the early 1990s, it became a nursing home before being acquired by Guide Dogs for the Blind.
By 1996, it had been transformed into a hotel catering to guide dog owners and visually impaired guests.
Facilities included 18 en suite bedrooms and an indoor swimming pool. In 2001, management passed to Action for Blind People.
Room capacity increased to 28, and a conservatory was added.
On July 24, 2011, Bradbury Cottages opened — an annexe with seven superior rooms.
In 2017, following a merger with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, Windermere Manor Hotel was bought by the family-run Starboard Hotels.
