The ground floor of the building will be used as a café, bar and hotel reception
08:57, 08 Nov 2025
ituated at 2 St Ann’s Staith, adjacent to Whitby’s swing bridge, the ground floor will continue to operate as a café, bar, and hotel reception, with the first and second floors being repurposed as hotel rooms.(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
A café and holiday let in the centre of Whitby is set to be partially transformed into a seven-bed hotel.
Richard Exley’s plans to convert the Hopes and Beans café into a hotel on the upper floors have been given the green light by North Yorkshire Council. Situated at 2 St Ann’s Staith, adjacent to Whitby’s swing bridge, the ground floor will continue to operate as a café, bar, and hotel reception, with the first and second floors being repurposed as hotel rooms.
The approved changes also encompass a number of external modifications, including the installation of replacement windows and the removal of the existing fire escape and its corresponding door on the southern side of the property. However, some proposed alterations were abandoned to address “concerns” raised by council officers.
The submitted plans reveal that three hotel rooms will be established on the first floor, with an additional four rooms on the second floor. Adding: “All of the proposed rooms will cater as double occupancy rooms, some of which have supplementary features such as sofas and tables and chairs.”
In 2023, the council had previously approved a plan to convert the first and second floors into holiday accommodation, a project which has since been “partially implemented”. Currently, the building houses a café on the ground floor, with extra seating for patrons on the first floor.
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Neither members of the public nor Whitby Town Council voiced any objections to the proposal, and the Environment Agency also expressed no concerns. The council’s tourism department said it was “supportive of additional serviced accommodation stock in Whitby” and added that “the application is welcomed”.
Officers noted that “tourism is fundamental to the local economy” and added that the scheme “would respect the tourism character of the area”.
“All of the rooms are larger than is expected for a double room in the Nationally Described Space Standards,” according to a planning report. North Yorkshire Council concluded that the application was “acceptable” and granted planning permission.
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
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