Guernsey Manor Hotel conversion welcomed

Plans to convert a Guernsey hotel into a care home have been welcomed, after the development won approval by the council environment department.

The Manor Hotel in Guernsey, which opened in the 1930s, is set to be converted into a 40-bedroom care home. The plans have been welcomed by Richard Hawme, the Dean of the Forest of Douzaine, who told BBC News that the conversion would have a "positive effect" on the area.

The former hotel, owned by Guernsey Building Developments, closed in 2013 after then-owners the Bishop family said the cost of repairs had become too much for them.

The current plans have been hit by their own difficulties, after the island's Environment and Commerce and Employment department was criticised for not making a decision fast enough.

The plans are now said to have approved. Hawme told the BBC: "It's had its time as a hotel. It's better that it is converted and not destroyed. It's in a lovely location."