Landmark Hotel Closed Since Pandemic Slated for Residential Conversion

A prominent hotel, Elme Hall, located on the outskirts of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, which has been closed for several years since the beginning of the Covid pandemic and never reopened, is now set to be transformed into flats. A portion of the site was previously converted into a house of multiple occupation. The owners now seek to redevelop the main hotel building and its ballroom into 19 flats. Both Wisbech Town Council and Emneth Parish Council have indicated their support for the plan. A report prepared for King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council’s planning committee recommended the proposal for approval. The 42-bed Elme Hall Hotel, built in the 1980s, was a well-known landmark for drivers on the A47. Nevertheless, it has faced challenges in more recent times. The hotel closed its doors in March 2020 and was purchased by developers last year. The developers stated that records showed a steady decline in its profits over the three years prior to the pandemic. In 2022, the government considered using the site to house migrants within the hotel, but Fenland District Council objected to this idea. Under the owners’ new plan, the hotel will be reconfigured to include 12 one-bedroom flats and seven two-bedroom flats. West Norfolk Councillors are scheduled to consider the proposal next Monday.