Seaton Carew bed and breakfast with hot tubs wins permission from Hartlepool Borough Council

Proposals seeking retrospective approval to convert the Mayfair bungalow off Tees Road into a small bed and breakfast were submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council.

Meas Events Ltd applied for four en-suite bedrooms and one self-contained suite for guests, along with one en-suite staff bedroom.

The proposals also included three externally positioned hot tubs, which are already in situ, each accessed from a different room or area of the site.

As per a planning condition, the hot tubs will all be enclosed by a two metre high acoustic fence to help reduce noise pollution.

The application went before the latest meeting of the council’s planning committee, where councillors approved the proposals by eight votes to one.

This was in line with recommendations from officers, who ruled the proposal was in a “sustainable location” and “acceptable with respect to impact upon neighbouring properties in terms of noise disturbance and impact on general amenity”.

The approval is subject to a legal agreement securing a £1,500 green infrastructure contribution from the developer.

Councillor Sue Little, Seaton ward representative, questioned how any reports of noise issues from the site would be managed in the future, after officers noted three noise complaints over the hot tubs in recent years.

Three objections were also submitted by residents with noise nuisance being one of their key concerns.

Damien Wilson, planning agent for the application, said there will be a “24/7 manager on site” who would monitor such issues and potentially impose time conditions over hot tub use.