(From Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette)
THE planning application to replace the Bay View Cafe in Bigbury on Sea with four houses has been refused.
The application, submitted by Nick Bennett, proposed the demolition of the Bay View Cafe building and the development of four detached, four-bedroom houses on the site. A previous application was also refused earlier this year.
South Hams District Council refused permission on Tuesday, October 11, citing that ‘the proposed change of use would result in the loss of a community facility, tourist asset and an employment use without adequate justification’ and ‘the loss of the community facility, tourist asset and employment use, together with the demolition of a building of local interest considered a non-designated heritage asset, fails to address the connections between people and places and leads to the loss of local distinctiveness and the degradation of the sustainability of the settlement’.
The report states that a third party ‘attempted to achieve listed status for Warren Cottage earlier this year’ and although that was unsuccessful, Historic England acknowledged that the property has ‘local interest’ as it was the ‘first dwelling erected on the mainland’ within what would become Bigbury-on-Sea.
The report also focussed on the ‘community functions’ that public houses and cafes serve in communities, and the fact that they are ‘especially pronounced in isolated rural communities, such as Bigbury-on-Sea’ and that the Bay View Cafe ‘represents the only example within the village of a contained, indoor public area for people living in the village to socialise and gather.’
The report states that ‘the loss of this community facility is in conflict with planning policy at the local and national level’ and that ‘its closure was undertaken by the applicant and does not indicate an absence of proven demand.’
It also recognises that the applicant adjusted the original proposal which led to a ‘more appropriate design response’ but that this was weighed against the ‘loss of the current site, which presents a very specific contribution to the village.’
There were 28 letters received by SHDC in response to this application, one in support and 27 objecting. You can view the proposal and the refusal notice on the SHDC planning website: southhams.gov.uk/searchlanding and search for application number: 1826/16/FUL
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