VAZON Bay Hotel could become sheltered housing. Its owner has already failed once to gain change of use permission. Environment has received an application to convert the west coast hotel into 17 units.

But tenant Alan Jackson, left, said: ‘From a personal point of view, I would be very disappointed to see it change because I’m a local man and I want to keep it as a hotel.

‘The Vazon Bay Hotel has been here forever and has always been a hotel.

‘But that is only my opinion and when I took over I hoped I would be able to persuade the landlord to sell the hotel to me at some point.’

Mr Jackson bought the lease as part of his takeover of Tony Gover’s group. He said he was in discussions with landlord V-Bay Holdings about extending his current lease, which expires in October.

‘When I took over I knew there was a possibility that I would lose the hotel in October, that is why I have been looking at other hotels.

‘When I look at it from a business point of view, given the amount of money I have invested, it would not be too financially damaging.’

Mr Jackson said he thought the company would make the change if permission were granted.

‘I think they really want to turn the hotel into something different, so I think it very much depends on the States and whether they grant permission for the hotel to be changed.

‘But I don’t want it to change. I want it to remain a hotel and I hope I will have the opportunity to continue to run it as a hotel.’

In March 2006, a similar application was refused.

The Health and Social Services Department supported that application, which had a roof terrace perimeter to the whole of the second floor. In the new plans, that has been removed, although there are private balconies to the second-floor apartments facing the sea.

A property to the west of the existing hotel has been bought to serve as the warden’s accommodation, should the application be successful.

The swimming pool would be refurbished for residents.

V-Bay Holdings has also written to the Commerce and Employment Department to justify the hotel’s removal from the tourist sector.

The loss of 27 bedrooms would be offset by approved plans for development at the neighbouring La Grande Mare, the company has said.

V-Bay Holdings said that it endorsed the department’s suggestion that the hotel was unable to contribute to the future visitor economy.

Bringing the hotel up to a good standard would reduce the number of rooms by some 30% and large investment in less accommodation was not an option.