The meeting included a discussion of two planning applications for approval, one at 26 Cliff Road, Paignton and another at 44 Fore Street, Torquay. It also included the confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting, and the possible consideration of any urgent matters.

26 Cliff Road, Paignton

This application proposed to convert the existing building at 26 Cliff Road, Paignton, into a supported accommodation facility run by City of Exeter YMCA.¹ The building was described as a semi-detached property previously in use as a club house for the Paignton Sea Anglers Association.²

The proposal would have created three supported accommodation units: two 1-bedroom flats and one 6-bedroom maisonette. The maisonette would have been occupied by six individuals who would share communal facilities, while the flats would have been single occupancy.

The supporting accommodation would have housed young people aged 18-25 with a direct connection locally to Torbay. The report noted that:

The accommodation is intended for young people who are moving on from Torbay's higher supported accommodation, foster placements and supported living arrangements.

The Torbay Local Plan 2012-2030 allocates the site as being within the Roundham and Paignton Harbour Conservation Area. The report noted that the building was identified as a key building of architectural importance, and that it sits within the Berry Head Recreational Zone of influence.³

The report noted that the building was currently occupied by the Paignton Sea Anglers Association, but that it had been sold subject to contract, and that:

… although our Club continues to enjoy a strong core membership, we no longer have the need for a building of the size of Ravenswood; it has been a good home for Paignton Sea Anglers, and hopefully we have done our part in its history in preserving and utilising such a lovely building.

The report discussed several material planning considerations for the application, including the need for affordable housing in Torbay, the impact on the Conservation Area, the impact on neighbouring properties, access and parking arrangements, and ecological considerations, including the impact on the Berry Head Recreational Zone of influence.

The report recommended that the application be approved subject to several conditions, including a condition to:

… secure a Berry Head ecological mitigation payment of £405.

44 Fore Street, Torquay

This application proposed to extend and reconfigure a mixed-use residential-commercial building at 44 Fore Street, Torquay to provide six apartments, whilst retaining the existing commercial space.

The building was described as a three-storey building with a flat roof, facing onto the pedestrianised shopping precinct along Fore Street. A large three-storey rear extension with a flat roof had also been added to the rear at some point in the past.

The report noted that the rear extension had been allowed to decay to the extent that it is now uninhabitable and unsafe, with pronounced cracks in the external masonry, windows missing and sections of flooring rotted away.

The report described the site as being within a mapped Local Centre and Flood Zone 1. The site is in the St Marychurch Conservation Area, close to two listed religious buildings, Grade II listed Margaret Clitherow House and Grade I listed Roman Church of Our Lady.

The proposal included plans to demolish the existing rear extension and replace it with a new, deeper, four-storey extension, and to add a new pitched roof to the existing second-floor flat roof in the front elevation facing Fore Street, creating a fourth storey.

At the rear, an existing historic limestone boundary wall would be retained. The verge outside the rear boundary wall would be used to create two new parking spaces, a communal bin store, and a bat house for a Lesser Horseshoe Bat that was reported to be using the basement of the property.

The proposal included the creation of three two-bedroom flats over the front portion of the building, and three one-bedroom flats in the rear extension.

The report discussed several material planning considerations, including the visual impact of the proposal, the impact on heritage assets, the impact on the amenities of future and neighbouring occupiers, highways and movement considerations, ecological considerations including the impact on a bat roost, and flood risk.

The report noted that the applicant had made revisions to the proposals following discussions with Council officers, but that the proposals do not go far enough to counter the less than substantial harm to the character of the Conservation Area and setting of the adjacent listed buildings that has been identified.

The report recommended that the application be refused. It proposed three reasons for refusal, including:

Impact on heritage assets & visual appearance

The proposed development, by reason of the additional height involved with the additional storey, the increase in footprint to the existing rear extension, its unsympathetic design, location within the St Marychurch Conservation Area and proximity to Grade I and Grade II listed religious buildings behind the site fails to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area and would result in less than substantial harm to the setting of the designated heritage assets. The public benefit of the provision of the residential units included with the proposals is clearly outweighed by the visual impact on the Conservation Area and listed buildings. The proposed development does not, therefore, meet the requirements set out in the National Planning Policy Framework for the presumption in favour of residential development where the Local Plan is not up to date. The proposal is deemed to be contrary to the requirements of Policies DE1, DE4, SS10 and HE1 of the Torbay Local Plan and Policy TH8 of the Torquay Neighbourhood Plan, the guidance contained in the National Planning Policy Framework (in particular paragraphs 205 and 208) and the requirements of sections 66 and 72(1) of Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.