Historic hotel which welcomed royalty could be turned into student housing

Southampton’s Dolphin Hotel has most recently been used to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

The Home Office’s use of the Grade II-listed building in High Street is set to come to an end next month.

Dolphin Hotel Property Ltd has submitted a change of use application for the site, which is believed to be Southampton’s oldest hotel dating back more than 500 years.

Famous guests in the hotel’s past reportedly include Queen Victoria and Admiral Lord Nelson.

The hotel’s ballroom is considered to be where novelist Jane Austen celebrated her 18th birthday and she is said to have returned to the Dolphin on multiple occasions.

A letter submitted on behalf of the applicant by Savills said the proposal will “enable a long-term viable use of this important and prominent building”.