A BOWNESS guest house might become two holiday lets or two permanent dwellings, with an associated outbuilding being used for a self-catering let. 

The Westbourne, on Biskey Howe Road in Bowness, is a guest house with nine letting rooms, owners' accommodation in the main building and a separate outbuilding for additional guest house accommodation known as The Cottage. 

No external changes will be made to the building. 

The proposal, outlined in the planning statement submitted by Garner Planning on October 3 to the Lake District Park Authority, is to divide the main building into two units. This will be used either for holiday-let accommodation or permanent dwellings. The Cottage will become a self-catering holiday let unit. 

The planning statement makes reference to another application for Lingwood Lodge that was given consent by the planning authority. It said: "These proposals would not result in a shortage of guesthouses in the locality or result in detrimental impact on the range of visitor accommodation types in the area." 

It argues that The Cottage is too small to be used as a permanent dwelling, as it is nearly half the minimal internal gross floor area set out as a housing standard by the government.