A controversial Lake District hotel development site has gone on the market for £2.5 million.
Plans to create a hotel in the former Pearsall House, on the shores of Windermere, were approved in September.
Southport-based Mikhail Hotels and Leisure Holdings Ltd applied to turn the vacant Far Sawrey building into a 15-bed hotel with a 24-space car park.
Initial work has begun however the property developer is planning to retire and wants to sell the site so a new developer can take it on.
He said: “I have known the Windermere area since visiting as a child, and I have always been aware of the beautiful location of Pearsall House.
“In recent years, as a hotel and property developer, I came to view Pearsall House as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a bespoke, luxury hotel on the shores of Windermere.
“Having worked tirelessly to gain planning permission for the project and started the first phase of the development, I am now wishing to retire, and I want to pass the opportunity on to a new owner who also shares the vision to complete the development and create a spectacular destination hotel in the most amazing location.”
An initial bid to convert Pearsall House, on the shores of Windermere, into a hotel was approved in October 2023, but were forced to go back to the drawing board.
In March last year, members of the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee was asked to revisit the site at Far Sawrey because its condition had changed.
An ‘over-eager’ site manager had begun to make changes to landscaping at the site.
The plans previously faced objections from residents and parish councils concerned over wastewater management and overdevelopment.
The site is on the market with Christie & Co.
Pearsall House was originally built in 1973 and formerly served as the offices and laboratory for the Fresh Water Biological Association.
Graham Wilkinson, senior business agent at Christie & Co, added: “We are delighted to bring to the market this unique hotel development opportunity on the shores of Windermere.
“With planning permission approved and the first phase of the development completed, it is a fantastic opportunity for a developer or operator to create something new.
“With significant investment being made in the hospitality sector across the Lake District and Cumbria, we anticipate that there will be interest from a range of potential purchasers looking to take advantage of the chance to create the first new waterfront hotel on Windermere in over 100 years.”
