IT should be easier to convert hotels into flats, a councillor claims.

Bournemouth councillor Nick Rose said tests for business viability may be misleading, as some hotels are "zombie businesses" and "still viable, but only just".

"They’re only viable because the owners work 100 hours a week," he said at the last full council meeting.

"These owners are now too old to continue running the hotels, but there is no new generation of lifestyle hoteliers who want to take over, and generally the refurbishment costs would be to prohibitive.

"So these old B&Bs and hotels are turned into HMOs and cause an area to become run down.

"With the town’s hotel room stock about to be increased again by the BIC hotel, what will the council do to allow dispensation for these hard working hoteliers who simply want to retire, and sell their only just viable hotel with a change of use to become residential units."

There have been numerous bids by tourism operators in the borough in recent months to convert their properties to residential use.

The Saxonhurst Hotel in in Sea Road was converted into flats in 2015 without planning permission. Its owners claimed the business was not viable, however an appeal against enforcement action led to the planning inspectorate concluding that that the loss of a tourism facility had not been justified.

Last month an application was made to convert it into holiday flats.

Cllr David Smith, cabinet member for planning, said he understood "the dilemma" facing hoteliers and steps had been taken to loosen planning rules in this area.

"It has been recognised by the council that there are many old and tired hotels which are probably past their 'sell by' date so the council has introduced supplementary planning guidance which makes it easier for an applicant to obtain a change of use for their business," he said.

He said applicants were advised to use the tourism screening panel, comprised of industry experts and council officers, which "helps to ensure that reasonably straightforward proposals, where it is evident that the business has little chance of being viable, are able to be fast-tracked, [which] will limit the expense and time required to produce the full viability assessment."