Hundreds object to planned new hotel

A second application was submitted after the first was rejected by the council.

Almost 300 objections have been made to new plans for a six-storey hotel on the seafront at Torquay.

A second application to demolish and replace the Corbyn Head Hotel at Livermead was submitted after the first was rejected by Torbay Council’s planning committee.

The 307 public comments made during consultation on the revised £20m plans include 282 against and 17 in support.

Councillors narrowly rejected the first scheme in June on the grounds its height and size would be out of character with the area and there was not enough parking.

A new application was lodged in July which reduced the height by 1m, changed the design and provided new information on parking, traffic and transport.

The architects say the design changes and new information should allow it to now go ahead.

But objectors maintain the new application for a building up to 20m high does not go far enough to overcome the reasons for refusal.

Councillors were told the 152-bed four star hotel with spa and rooftop bar over six floors with basement parking would create 110 jobs and inject an estimated £2.7m a year into the local economy.

Planning officers recommended approval and said it was similar to other large buildings along the seafront.

At the meeting in June, local Independent councillor Nicole Amil said the planned “Benidorm-style” hotel was “massive” and “monstrous”.

A design review panel supported the scheme ranging from four to six storeys and said it was an “exciting, handsome and positive addition” to the seafront.

Neighbours complained that the hotel off Torbay Road was out of place and would block views, overlook homes and cause disturbance and overflow parking in the area.

In the new application, the design of the top floor has been changed to minimise the impact of views from the rear of the building.

The application has updated transport, travel and road safety information which covers parking, access, coach drop-off and loading arrangements. 

It says the provision of 101 parking spaces is below the recommended level but is more than enough according to an estimate of the likely number of trips generated by the site.

It says a ban on staff parking and a management strategy including valet parking would prevent overspill onto nearby streets, and the bar, restaurant and spa would be for hotel residents only.

The Corbyn Head Hotel is one of four sites in Torbay bought for redevelopment by the Singapore-based Fragrance Group.

Objectors have put up a banner at a block of flats behind the site which is 2m lower than the proposed hotel.

The application is expected to be considered by the council’s planning committee in the next few months.