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Northumberland hospitality business Doxford Group has submitted a revised planning application to turn the The Greenhouse building on Front Street in Bamburgh into a boutique hotel.
The building, which dates back to 1893, was operating as a restaurant with four bedrooms, before it was acquired by The Doxford Group in 2021.
Doxford founder and CEO Richard Shell first submitted plans for the building in May but has submitted altered plans following feedback from Northumberland County Council’s conservation officer.
Shell is proposing an extension to the property, currently a two-unit holiday let, which would create six en-suite guest bedrooms on the first floor, alongside a 21-table restaurant and kitchen on the ground floor. It claims that this would create nine jobs.
The report stated: “Additional space is required to make the building financially viable as a boutique small hotel. The reduction from the original planning application will reduce room revenue, but we believe the viability of the project to work for the business with six good sized rooms.”
Some residents have pushed back against the proposed expansion due to concerns about the lack of parking for guests and staff in the area.
However, a transport assessment conducted on behalf of the applicant stated that the property already has three parking spaces located to the rear and that there is some on-street parking nearby. It also highlighted the proximity of seasonal parking next to St Aidan’s Church.
Bamburgh Parish Council stated: “Bamburgh suffers badly from a lack of parking places and each planning consent approved where this is ignored only adds to the problem. This development will put yet more pressure on parking provision in the village.”
Doxford Group currently operates three venues across the Charlton Estate; Charlton Hall, an 18th Century mansion house and wedding and events venue,Doxford Barns a barn wedding venue, and The Tempus, a boutique hotel offering 41 bedrooms, suites, hot tub rooms and dog-friendly accommodation.
