‘Seaside towns are on their knees’: Crunch time for Morecambe as beloved hotels on sale and Eden Project looms

Morecambe hasn’t changed a huge amount since its heyday. Brucciani’s cafe looks almost exactly as it did when it opened as a milk bar in the 1930s.

Glory days, when the seaside resort would be flooded with holidaymakers every summer, have been absent for some time. But as the sun beat down on the seafront this week, you could be kidded into thinking they’d never left.

Now, a renaissance on Morecambe Bay may – finally – be more than just a pipedream.

Many with a stake in the seafront – hotels, businesses, B&Bs – are watching eagerly as work is finally set to begin on the long-anticipated Eden Project Morecambe. Although there are concerns about how prepared the town is to host what will become one of the UK’s premier tourist attractions.

READ MORE:

The 30-bedroom seafront Morecambe Bay Hotel has been put up for sale, which sparked concerns from one Lancaster city councillor this week – who said local hotel space must be protected for the town’s future development.

The Morecambe Bay Hotel is located on a parade of hotels along Marine Road Central. Others include The Lothersdale and Auckland. Further along the seafront is the art-deco 1930s Midland Hotel and the Edwardian Winter Gardens, which is being restored. Sales information from estate agents suggested the Morecambe Bay Hotel could continue as hotel or, possibly, be converted to flats or homes of multiple occupancy, subject to planning approval.

The current hotel has an asking price of £750,000 but could fetch £1m, estate agents said. The Local Democracy Reporting Service gathered opinion on hotels and housing from people on the promenade.

John and Frances Heyes from Bury, Greater Manchester, visit Morecambe occasionally along with other seaside towns such as Scarborough. John said: “The Eden Project is going to be a big boost for Morecambe so I think hotel space will be pretty important. Having said that, it’s still an area with lower wages so the prices that hotels charge or rents that landlords want will be important too. There are few issues to think about.

“Seaside towns in Britain have had it hard for years. Blackpool is on its knees, some people say. So any boost they can get is important. I do think the Eden project will help Morecambe.

Frances said: “I think a nice hotel can really add something to a town. It can create a buzz. We visit Scarborough too where the Grand Hotel is well-known. There are different views about The Grand these days. It’s a beautiful building from outside although people have different views about it inside. But there’s no doubt that hotels matter to seaside towns. So I think the Morecambe Bay Hotel should be kept as a hotel.

“People need homes too and it’s important that local people should not be forgotten about, whether with the price of hotels or price of housing. But I do think a hotel like that, on the seafront, should stay as a hotel. The Midland Hotel in Morecambe is important too although it perhaps needs a bit of TLC.

“People love to see nice hotels in good locations in seaside towns. So all these hotels along the Morecambe promenade matter.

“Shops are important too. Morecambe could do with a few more shops, I think. But that might happen when the Eden Project opens.”

Morecambe resident Paul John said: “It definitely needs to stay as a hotel. When I first moved to Morecambe in 1968, the town was really buzzing. Now, with the Eden Project and The Bay on TV, there is new interest in Morecambe.

“We don’t visit hotels here because we live here. But we eat-out sometimes at The Platform. That’s a nice place for a meal. We tend to go out for lunch rather than at night.

“There are plenty of flats already in Morecambe and loads in the West End. We don’t need more flats, But we do need a few more decent hotels and shops. Nothing too expensive for hotels though. Just something modest and affordable for retired people like us.

“Also some buildings or sites in the town need sorting-out. I’m thinking of the old Morrison’s site and some of the modern arcades and places next to them, like Johnny’s arcade and the cut-through to the market.”

Student Elowyn Hamer, aged 20, from Bare in Morecambe, was on the promenade with friends including Lancaster University students. Elowyn is studying at university in Cheshire. Her interests include archaeology and history.

She said: “The Midland Hotel in Morecambe is art-deco architecture and is quite a cool place where ‘fancier’ people stay. My mum and step-dad booked a room there. I’ve had dinner there and been on the veranda, which is very nice. I saw a bedroom which looked nice too.

“But being students, we need more affordable places to stay. So I think we need affordable hotels if young people are going to stay. If my friends were visiting the area and needed a hotel, I’d probably suggest somewhere like Travel Lodge in Lancaster. There are also lots of B&Bs about. It’s really just about the price for our age group.

“In terms of housing, my mum lives in Bare and my dad lives in the West End. I’ve noticed a lot of houses are for sale in Bare at the moment but they will be expensive. My grandparents live in Heysham and have older neighbours. I’m not sure what things there are for young people in Heysham but my grandparents like it because it’s quieter.”

Lancaster University psychology student Emily Darlington, aged 19, is from St Helens. She said: “Morecambe needs to keep its hotels. With the Eden Project coming, there will be loads of people coming.

“With hotels, if I was looking for the best place in Morecambe to stay then it’d probably be the Midland. But if it was for friends, I’d probably suggest B&Bs because they are more affordable. There is a hotel near Lancaster University called Lancaster House Hotel. I’ve stayed there and it’s lovely.

“At the moment, Morecambe is busy at weekends and less-so through the week. But that will change. The new Eden Project will much better for the north. I’ve been to the Cornwall Eden Project but Morecambe will be much closer for people in the north. It’ll be much better. We definitely need hotels.”

READ NEXT: