A WEYMOUTH guest house is to be converted into four flats to be used as holiday lets.

Dorset Council has approved the proposals for the Florian Guest House at 59 Abbotsbury Road.

It says that changes in the market for holiday accommodation have changed and there is now more demand for self-catering, rather than B&B.

Three of the flats are planned to be 1-bed, the first floor flat provided two bedrooms, one suitable for a double bed, the other room a single.

Each of the flats, on four floors, will have a lounge area with two of the properties having a separated kitchen area with the other two having a combined kitchen area and lounge.

A statement with the planning request said that the conversion is wanted because the owner wishes to retire. No external changes are being proposed apart from creating car parking spaces at the front of the property while the rear open space will remain.

Support for the scheme came from a Weymouth business owner who said agreeing the changes was “a no brainer”, pointing out that to have flats with parking is a rarity which should be welcomed.

Weymouth Town Council had raised no objection to the changes.

Said a planning case officer: “The proposals would support the growing demand for self-contained holiday accommodation at a time when guesthouse type accommodation is becoming less popular. Furthermore, the tourism use would be maintained and would therefore still make a positive contribution to the local economy.”