Seafront hotel heads for retirement
22 January 2003 by Jenny Webster
A well-known seafront hotel in Hampshire that dates back to the 1920s is to close with the loss of 75 jobs after being bought by a leading retirement flat builder.
Bournemouth-based McCarthy & Stone is expected to apply for planning permission to demolish the 27-bedroom Belle Vue hotel in Lee-on-the-Solent, to redevelop the site into purpose-built managed flats for the elderly. The Belle Vue will continue to operate until April, but staff are already looking for alternative employment.
Owner Stone Manor Hotels blames its decision to sell on a drop in business at a time of rising costs. Hotel deputy manager Peter Driscoll said: "I'm sad the hotel is being lost. We've been an important part of the community for a number of years."
