FRESH plans have been submitted to convert an empty York hotel into two grand villas with two new homes at the rear.

The Oakgate Group has submitted the new plans to City of York Council to replace a scheme at the former Mount Royale Hotel featuring four homes at the rear, a scheme which was withdrawn in April.

The Wetherby-based developer already has approval for a two-home scheme on the 0.4ha site but has amended them to account for comments received during the planning process for this original, approved scheme.

The historic villas at 117 and 119 The Mount were built in the 1830s, with the previous owners, the Oxtaby family, converting 119 The Mount into a hotel in 1967, before expanding into the adjoining 117 in 1978.

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The family closed the 24-bed hotel in April 2022 and sold the property to the Oakgate Group.

Stuart Oxtaby said the hundreds of hotel rooms built across York in recent years meant the family-business was ‘no longer viable.’

The latest plans maintain proposals to convert the historic building back into two grand family homes. Restoring them to their former glory using the original house names of Daresbury and Beech Villas remains central to the new application. 

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Oakgate, which is part of the Caddick Group, says its vision for the site is to restore the setting and historical features to the Grade II listed buildings which are in the York Central Historic Core Conservation Area.

If approved, the project will include “the complete removal of the dilapidated and poor-quality modern extensions at the rear and side.”

At the front of the villas the existing car park will be removed allowing the restoration of the original garden layouts.

In addition, “the two proposed new sustainable homes will provide a much-needed addition to York’s housing stock”, the developer added.

Richard France, Managing Director of Oakgate, said: “Since withdrawing the original application we’ve worked constructively with Council Officers and have made every effort to ensure the plans are as sympathetic as possible taking into account the comments from the original application.” 

“We are proud to be able to give a new future to these magnificent buildings and restore them to their former glory. 

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“The two new luxury homes will help to ensure the viability, delivery and conversion of the former hotel, whilst building on the previous planning permission on the site.”

Oakgate Group has been involved in various York City Centre development projects, including the transformation of Stonebow House.

It also has a current planning application for the former Tramways Working Men’s Club site in Mill Street to create 35 flats.