The need for additional properties for hospitality staff to live in has been laid bare in a planning application to convert an existing unit for them.
The owner of a property along Glategny Esplanade has asked for planning permission to convert it into a House of Multiple Occupancy citing the “acute shortage” of such properties in the island.
Beausiant was sub-divided into four flats in the late 1970s, and if further alterations are made internally, the property could now accommodate a maximum of 25 people, suggests architect, Courtillet Design.
“There is an acute shortage of HMO accommodation within Guernsey and a desperate need to provide accommodation for hospitality workers from overseas,” the application letter states.
“The building has previously been subdivided into four flats and will easily be converted into a HMO with little work required and will not affect the protected building status.”
To enable 25 people to live in the HMO, it’s suggested that bedrooms and bathrooms be relocated, and a new “larger communal kitchen/dining area be created at the rear of the ground floor”.
Further work on the first, second, and attic floors could see rooms subdivided, staircases moved, and the creation of a new communal area.
The property was bought by the current owners; L & T Ltd, in June 2018.
L & T Ltd is linked to the owners of the *Octopus and Dhaka restaurants in Guernsey, and the ‘Dhaka on Wheels’ catering business.
In a supporting letter to the application, Delphine and Mike Pesrin – who also used to own the popular Petit Bistro and Petit Cafe businesses – state that there is a “chronic shortage of HMOs in modern habitable condition to buy or rent” and that it is “imperative that we have staff accommodation in support of the hospitality staff that we bring to Guernsey”.
(*Octopus remains closed after the building was destroyed in a fire in February 2024.)