Bognor Regis business owner down £500,000 after council classified his B&B as a residential property
The owner of two guesthouses in Bognor Regis says he has lost out on more than £500,000 of business after both were incorrectly classified as residential – rather than commercial – properties.
Clive Keedwell, the owner of Jubilee Guest House on Gloucester Road and Keedwell House on London Road, said the sudden reclassification has made it impossible for him to conduct business over the last year and a half, costing him thousands in lost business.
Although Mr Clivewell has appealed the decision with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), the government body responsible for listing properties as either commercial or domestic, he says the categorisation continues despite a visit from Arun District Council planning inspectors last year. They confirmed that Keedwell House ‘appears to still be a guesthouse’, adding that there had been ‘no breach’ of conditions at the property, but expressed concerns about Jubilee Guesthouse.
The inspectors said Jubilee Guesthouse more closely resembled a series of self-contained flats then temporary tourist accommodation, but nonetheless classified the planning investigation as ‘Not Expedient to Pursue’. Mr Keedwell said the Gloucester Road property continues to operate as a guesthouse, and explained that he has been working with Arun District Council since 2009 to provide emergency accommodation to vulnerable people – a business relationship which has sometimes required him to go above and beyond what’s expected of a typical bed and breakfast.
"Over the years I’ve had to put different things in – each room has its own electrical supply, so everything can be isolated. So many times we’ve had families in and what’s there wasn’t adequate, and the council would ask me to out a microwave in, or a portable oven in so they could cook food. But for the tourists, none of it was here, and it was all switched off,” Mr Keedwell said.
"There’s no legal specification as to what you can have in a room; it’s all about what it’s used for. We’re a guesthouse and always have been.”
Outraged by the dispute, Mr Keedwell is now taking a stand against Arun District Council, and calling on other small businesses nationwide to join him. He’s started the United Business Protection Association (UPBA), claiming that, by working together, business owners stand a better chance of resisting ‘unscrupulous’ council tactics.
“I’ve been doing good for this community for 20 years,” he said. “And this is what they do. I’ve been branded a criminal, I’ve had my name damaged, my reputation damaged, my business damaged. They’ve diminished my savings and I can’t make the money back because they’ve taken away my licence. I’m worried for my health because I’m just so stressed out.”
Responding to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Arun District Council confirmed they were aware of Mr Keedwell’s case, adding: “The decision to list a property as residential or commercial lies with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), not the council. If a property is listed for Council Tax, we are legally required to bill accordingly. We understand Mr Keedwell has appealed this decision, and we await the outcome.
“While the council has previously used Mr Keedwell’s properties for emergency accommodation on a spot-purchase basis, there has never been a formal contract in place. Placement decisions are made based on the suitability and value of accommodation available at the time.”