Seaside resort hotel sold for conversion to nursing home

Byng House hotel in Southport is set to be converted into a nursing home after being sold by the Royal British Legion for an undisclosed sum.

The Grade II-listed property, which is presently closed and had an individual guide price of £1.65m, has been sold to London-based Premcard, which already runs a nursing home in the local area and plans to operate Byng House as a nursing home in the future.

Robert Smithson, senior surveyor in the hotels agency team at Colliers International, which acted on behalf of the Royal British Legion, noted that the sale reflected current trends in the market.

“There was a high level of interest in this property, both from hospitality operators seeking to continue to run it as a hotel, and also from bidders who could see the potential for alternative uses,” he said.

“This has become an increasing trend in hotel sales, with significant interest being shown in high quality properties such as this one which lend themselves to conversion for purposes such as healthcare and residential.”

He added: “The shift towards hotels being purchased for alternative uses has undoubtedly added a new dimension to the UK hotels market, which is currently seeing keen competition for prime properties in popular tourist areas which showed excellent booking levels between national lockdowns in 2020 and are expected to do so again in 2021.”

The purchaser, David Rosenberg of Premcard, said: “We are very excited to continue the role that the iconic Byng House had in serving the community, and we will be supporting and adding much needed nursing facilities to the area.

“The building is beautiful and allows us to continue to provide the highest quality nursing care within a homely community. This will be in addition to our existing nursing home, Elm House.”

Byng House, which is prominently located on the Promenade in Southport, was brought to market with an individual guide price of £1.65m, as part of a portfolio of four properties released by the Royal British Legion following a decision to close its ‘break centre’ hotels to provide greater resources for its increasing casework.

The property presently comprises 36 en-suite letting bedrooms and extensive public areas including a bar, activity room, conservatory lounge, hair salon, dining room, day room/lounge, games room and a cinema room.