Pevensey Parish Council objects to hotel plans

Councillors have objected to plans to develop the Bay Hotel.
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Plan have been submitted for the development of the hotel, in Pevensey Bay.

The changes would see the ground floor of the hotel become a Co-op convenience store, with the rest of the building remaining for hotel use.

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There would also be a 1.5 storey rear extension together with raising the rear balcony and external staircase and alterations to the front elevation, according to the plans on the Wealden District Council (WDC) website.

Bay Hotel SUS-201229-165428001Bay Hotel SUS-201229-165428001
Bay Hotel SUS-201229-165428001

On December 21, Pevensey Parish Council met to discuss the plans – with 13 members of the public in attendance.

Councillor Peter Lowton, the chairperson, acknowledged that there had been a lot of public interest, so allowed attending public members to have an opportunity to express their views.

According to the meeting’s minutes, members of the public raised a number of issues including parking, traffic, the future of the hotel, and the impact on local businesses.

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In response to this, Mauro Dias, the project manager, said that Covid had caused the hotel bar and restaurant to become unfeasible as it had not been able to reopen in the summer.

He also said the Co-op will provide residents with ‘better prices and stock guaranteed’ – something that would encourage tourism and trade in the high street.

Mr Dias said the building will be preserved and car parking facilities will accommodate vehicles.

The meeting’s minutes said committee members raised issues around traffic at refuse collection times, the loading bay causing congestion and the impact on surrounding businesses.

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The road lay out and how that would be affected was something committee members touched on too, including the sharp bend nearby, the cycle system, and other surrounding developments adding to the congestion further.

To summarise the meeting’s minutes, the planning committee objected to the plans on the following grounds:

• Traffic congestion and parking provision was not sufficient and inadequate for the site and risked causing problems elsewhere

• Overdevelopment for the site as it is bringing in extra traffic for use on the site that does not exist at the moment

• Disability access is not adequate

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• There is a danger to pedestrians and other vehicle users on the sharp corner

WDC said it is seeking reports from ‘all relevant and necessary authorities with regards to the applications’.

The closing date for comments to be submitted by the general public to the WDC planning authority is January 12.

The Parish Council has submitted its comments from the meeting and now WDC will consider the application once all information has been obtained and a planning committee meeting has been arranged. Members of the public can watch this meeting.