Plans for seafront flats at troubled hotel refused

The owner of a troubled Great Yarmouth hotel has lost planning permission to turn part of it into flats.

Janak Masrani's proposal was to convert one of two buildings which make up The Sea Princess Hotel in North Drive into homes.

It was refused by Great Yarmouth Borough Council's development control committee on Wednesday night due to fears of over development and it was contrary to policies regarding primary holiday accommodation

Under the plan a three-story annexe containing 20 of the hotel's 61 rooms would have been redeveloped.

A similar scheme was refused in 2017.

A report to planners notes the building's "unkempt" appearance and suggests the proposed changes would be an improvement.

Last month an investigation by this newspaper revealed 23 reports were made to environmental health officers at the borough council between June 2017 and May 2019.