Bid to transform ex-Hartlepool hotel into student HMOs

Proposals have been submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department for the The York Hotel to be transformed into two eight-bedroom houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Applicants Dr Catherine Stephenson and Julie Brooks are registered landlords with The Northern School of Art and say they have a proven track record of delivering “excellent quality” student accommodation in Hartlepool.

They previously had plans approved to convert the site in York Road into a site providing 13 bedrooms for student accommodation.

But the work has not been carried out and a planning statement from Arthouzz, the student accommodation portfolio run by the applicants, says the latest plans look to “renovate and return the site back to its original build” which was as two separate properties.

It said: “The proposal would provide important and much needed high quality student accommodation whilst also bringing a large empty building back into use to the significant benefit of the area and its local community.

“The proposed accommodation would be targeted at second and third year students coming out of halls of residence with the aim of providing a complementary offer to existing first year student accommodation in the area.”

Each HMO will have four bedrooms with en-suite facilities, with the rest sharing two bathrooms, while communal kitchen and lounge areas will be provided.

Proposals also include a ground floor office to manage day-to-day aspects of running the student portfolio.

The building is currently vacant and a decision is expected to be made on the plans next month.