UK: Developer St David Group has submitted plans to Westmorland and Furness Council to convert the Old Lyric Hall in Barrow into a 10-unit aparthotel.
Old Lyric Hall is located on Clifford Street in Barrow-in-Furness. Currently vacant, the building was most recently used as a community hub.
The proposed redevelopment of the site includes four ground floor apartments and six on the first floor. All units will feature fully equipped kitchenettes and en-suite facilities.
Earlier in September this year, the council approved plans from St David Group to convert the building into two HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupancy). The new proposal has been submitted under a C1 use class.
The design and access statement completed by St David Group Ltd read: “The redevelopment of The Old Lyric Hall into an aparthotel places great emphasis on architectural design, carefully balancing the preservation of historical heritage with modern functionality and aesthetics.
“The property is envisioned as upmarket loft-style accommodation, catering to visitors to Barrow-in-Furness. The operational model revolves around a staff-tree hotel space, except for room turnovers and maintenance. Guests will reserve their rooms through an online booking system such as Booking.com or a similar platform. The management of reservations and guest access will be efficiently handled by Mews. Clients booking rooms will receive their digital room keys upon reservation confirmation via Flexipass.
“The transformation of The Old Lyric Hall into an aparthotel represents an exciting opportunity for both revitalising a historic building and contributing to the local economy. We believe our proposal is not only well-conceived but also deeply respectful of the building’s heritage, and we look forward to the prospect of bringing this vision to life for the benefit of the community and visitors to Barrow-in-Furness.”
A decision by council planning officers on the application is pending.
