Calls to Refuse Hotel Emergency Accommodation Plan Over 'Extreme' Change to Quality of Life

Scarborough residents are calling for the rejection of a planning application to formalize the use of two hotels as emergency accommodation, citing an "extreme change" to their quality of life due to anti-social behavior.

The neighbours of an emergency accommodation facility in North Yorkshire have said they are fed up with alleged ‘drug use, violence, and foul language’ from residents.

​More than a dozen people shared testimonies about the impacts of living next to The Lodge on Valley Road in Scarborough, which is used as an emergency accommodation facility, at a council meeting on Thursday, July 2.

​Residents said they had seen “an extreme change” to their quality of life and called for a planning application by Homemore – which seeks to formalise the use of two hotels as emergency accommodation – to be rejected.

Homemore said it employed dozens of staff as well as subcontracted 24/7 security, and that refusing its applications would lead to people being “scattered around the town in hotels and BnBs with none of the infrastructure and support that we provide”.

​Scarborough Town councillors said they were against Homemore’s applications for The Redcliffe Hotel and The Lodge in Scarborough to officially become mixed-use sites and said North Yorkshire Council should refuse the plans.

​Rachel, a nearby resident, said:

“Incidents are taking place every single day on the streets surrounding these properties, not just sporadically.

​“We’ve seen an extreme change to our quality of life because our garden backs onto The Lodge’s outdoor seating area, and we can’t use our garden anymore. We can’t even leave our windows open on hot days because of the noise and the smell.

​“Our safety is also an issue; I don’t feel safe in my home anymore. If we wanted to move, how would we even sell our house with rising crime rates in the area?”

John, the owner of the nearby Valley Bar, told councillors:

“I’m quite a big bloke, but I can no longer walk my dog at night, and other more vulnerable people can’t leave their house.

​“I’ve run the pub for 23 years, during which time I’ve probably called the police five times. In the past year, I’ve probably called them 10 times.

​“People are sitting outside my pub waiting for customers to come in and asking for money, and now I’m not getting people in my beer garden.”

Homemore describes itself as a “specialist housing provider delivering temporary accommodation for adults, young people and families”.

​Andrew Waggitt, managing director of Homemore, said he was sorry for the distress felt by neighbours of The Lodge, and said the feelings described “are totally valid”, but added that there were many “mistruths” about the company.

​He said Homemore only accepted referrals from North Yorkshire Council and its housing and social services teams, and that the organisation “doesn’t import homeless people or asylum seekers”.

​Another nearby resident, Mr Witty, said residents of The Lodge had “made a hell of my life”.

“I can’t have my grandchildren over because of foul language and cannabis use. There was fighting two weeks ago, and a knife was used. I’m sick of it; it’s constant, and I want this stopped,” he said.

​The applications for The Lodge, on Valley Road, and the Redcliffe, on Prince of Wales Terrace, are seeking to regularise the use of the properties, which are currently being used as emergency accommodation.

​Mr Waggitt told the council meeting:

“Incidents and community concerns are all logged and escalated across services. Homemore has often been linked to properties it doesn’t own and residents it doesn’t house, and the attendance of police and other services is often misrepresented.

“We have worked incredibly hard since we started six years ago, and we have housed somewhere in the region of 4,000 people in this town.

​“Historically, this type of provision was sprinkled across town in B&Bs and hotels. We spoke to the council about the need to put in infrastructure such as CCTV and security to provide these services.

​“The planning application won’t change these sites; they will stay as hotels that can provide emergency accommodation.

​“You only have to walk through this town centre to see the scale of deprivation in this town. We are providing people with a platform and an opportunity to engage with services and to make change, and many people have put their lives together as a result.”

​Town mayor, Reform’s Cllr Thomas Murray, said there had been “a blatant disregard for residents” and urged Homemore to listen to the concerns raised.

​Cllr William Stuart said the proposals conflicted with the council’s Local Plan and should be refused.

​Cllr Sarah Mason said:

“While I agree that provision for homeless people must be available, the placement for people with addiction issues must be in places with specialist care.

​“Support for homeless people must be provided in a way that protects local people. This is neither safe nor sustainable.”

​Cllr Chris Clark spoke in favour of The Redcliffe application, stating:

“I see the guests staying at the Redcliffe, they are polite and take care of themselves.

​“It’s not just accommodation that’s being provided. If we reject this application, where do these people go? The council still holds a statutory duty to house people, and otherwise, people will be housed in BnBs across the town at an astronomical cost.”

Scarborough Town Council’s planning committee voted against The Lodge application with three votes against and one abstention, and against the Redcliffe with three against and one in favour.

​North Yorkshire Council is expected to make a final decision on the proposals later this summer.