New 30 Bed Hotel and Café Plans Submitted for Barrow Town Centre
Plans have been submitted to turn a Portland Walk building in Barrow into a 30 bedroom hotel with a café.
The proposal relates to 26-28 Portland Walk. A site in the pedestrianised shopping area close to the former Debenhams building.
If approved, the development would bring hotel accommodation and a café use into one of Barrow’s main town centre streets.
The plans come after previous controversy over the same building. Where first floor retail space had been converted into flats without planning permission.
Previous Illegal Flats Were Rejected
The building has already been involved in a planning dispute over flats.
A previous scheme saw the first floor converted into eight, one bedroom studio flats, while the ground floor stayed in retail use.
Planning documents show those flats were created without planning permission.
The council had already refused permission for a similar plan in February 2021. Concerns were raised about whether the flats gave people a good enough place to live.
Issues included natural light, outlook, ventilation and possible noise from nearby late-night businesses.
A later council summary said the building was still developed and the flats were let to residents, despite permission being refused. This led to formal enforcement action.
Put simply, the council had not approved the flats but they were still created and used.
Why the Flats Were a Concern
The appeal decision found that the flats were large enough in terms of floor area, but raised serious concerns about the quality of the living space.
The inspector noted that none of the bedrooms or bathrooms had windows. While some light reached parts of the flats from living room windows, this was not considered enough to provide suitable daylight, sunlight or outlook.
The decision described some of the spaces as gloomy and oppressive.
Noise was also a concern because of nearby late-night licensed premises and takeaways around Preston Street, William Street and Cavendish Street.
Hotel Plan Could Bring Different Use
The latest proposal would move the site away from the disputed flat use and towards visitor accommodation.
A 30-bedroom hotel and café could help support Barrow’s town centre economy, especially as the town continues to see investment linked to major employers, regeneration work and demand for short-stay accommodation.
Hotels can bring more footfall into town centres, with guests using local shops, pubs, restaurants and transport links.
However, the council will still need to consider whether the proposed use is suitable for the building and location.
Decision Still to Be Made
Westmorland and Furness Council will consider the application before making a decision.
Planning officers are likely to look at issues such as design, access, impact on neighbouring businesses, waste arrangements, noise, servicing and how the hotel would operate.
The history of the site may also be relevant, particularly because of the previous unauthorised flats and the concerns raised in the earlier appeal process.
No decision has yet been reported.
If approved, the scheme would mark another change for Portland Walk as Barrow town centre continues to adapt.
