‘Better than nothing at all’ - Developer speaks out on 44-room South Shields guest house plans

A property developer bidding to turn a former South Shields nightclub into guest accommodation has claimed the town has just one good hotel – and “serial" objectors.

Spain-based Daniel Goggin, 37, described other abodes as being “run down” and having “thin windows and seagulls on the roof”.

He said the lack of quality hotel-type properties was one reason he was taking a second bite at transforming the closed Ruperts club in Ocean Road.

Developments in South Shields

His first bid was rejected late last year amid a flurry of objections over his plan, which included having two multiple occupation blocks inside.

Mr Goggin has now scrapped the HMO element and vowed to only house short-term paying customers.

The entrepreneur has applied to convert the site into what he calls a 44-room ‘Apart Hotel’ – a cross between a hotel and apartment block.

If successful, it would be his second major development of a South Shields town centre landmark building.

In June, he won permission to turn part of the former Barclays Bank, on the corner of King Street, into apartments.

Earlier this week, he was granted approval to convert an upstairs space in Fowler Street into studio flats.

‘I’m very confident I will get it’

Mr Goggin said: “I spend a lot of time in hotels in South Shields and they’re not great.

“There’s one in Ocean Road and it’s the only nice place in South Shields.

“The rest of the area is run down, with thin windows and seagulls on the roof. I think there is more and more need for hotels.

“The reason behind this scheme is that it’s a great place for a hotel, and I’m pretty sure that we will get it.

“It has to be short term guests, that’s part of the plan, it’s not permanent residents. There will be no long-term tenants placed in.

“I’m very confident I will get it. We work well with the council - if they ask to change it, we will.”

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Message to objectors

Of objectors, he added: “I believe that there are certain people in life, and in this particular area of South Shields, who will try to object to any planning permission that goes through.

“About 30 people saying it, isn’t much. We’ve had a lot of comments from people that they want to have change.

“There are going to be people who are serial people for rejecting planning permission.

“What we will do to South Shields will be 100,000 times better than nothing happening at all.”

Guest house won’t be a HMO

Mr Goggin insists the Ruperts site would be run on a hotel-type model, for short term guest stays and not long-term lease.

The ex-wealth manager’s original plan was to create 32 residential units - he admits it failed because the HMO element was out of step, but there were also around 40 official objections.

Mr Goggin believes he has corrected that with his latest proposal, put together with two business partners.

He added: “We are going to do what South Shields wants us to do and build and make the centre better.

“Everything that they want on planning is what I want South Shields to look like. I think South Shields is a luxury place to live.

“What the council is doing is really good. South Shields has one of the most beautiful high streets I have seen.”

The public can comment on the plans via the council’s website until Wednesday, September 2.