So sorry Paula…….nation’s sympathy is in the post!

A hotel once regarded as the finest in Exmouth has been saved from demolition but its long-term fate is still hanging in the balance. East Devon planners have rejected contentious plans to demolish Devoncourt Hotel and replace it with a combination of apartments and a hotel.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com 

The latest planning application for the site in Douglas Avenue sought to build 66 homes and a new smaller 65 bed hotel. Fierce opposition saw around 180 objections submitted and just three in favour of the proposals.

The revised application, submitted by Azim Lalani, had been recommended for approval. However, during an at-times tense debate yesterday, May 21, when planners met to discuss the plans, it was eventually rejected as it was considered to be an overdevelopment of the site and was unsympathetic to its surroundings.

Worries were also raised about parking. Seven councillors on the district council’s planning committee voted to reject the scheme – a motion proposed by vice chair Cllr Matt Hall (Liberal Democrat, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh) – with four in favour of approving it.

Chair Olly Davey (Green Party, Exmouth Town) didn’t vote to reject the proposal but acknowledged it had been a ‘contentious application’.

After the meeting he said: “There were concerns about the ability of the design to blend in with its surroundings, the scale of the development and also there was a great deal of discussion about the availability of parking for the proposal.

“We had several of the original objectors there, and they outlined similar concerns, including the amount of traffic that would be using the site.”

Cllr Davey said a redesign meant the proposed development would now take up less of the site than initial plans, but the scheme still didn’t fit the design statement for the Avenues area, which states only a quarter of any given plot should be developed.

The plans involved demolishing the existing hotel and replace it with a 65-bed alternative at the southern most part of the land with access via Maer Road car park and its own car park. Vehicular access for the proposed apartments was to remain off Douglas Avenue.

The location of the apartments was on the north and south side of the site. One of the blocks would have been for 15 affordable properties, with some being rented or for shared ownership.

The application was initially debated by East Devon’s planning committee in April. Following a marathon two-and-a-half hour debate, councillors agreed to visit the site to investigate concerns about parking as the new hotel would rely on the nearby council-owned Maer Road car park for its guests.

The council’s car parks manager told councillors that data suggested there would be enough capacity for the hotel guests, given that daily use is generally fewer than 100 transactions per day. However, the car park is currently closed at night as it was previously used by ‘boy and girl racers’, although it was suggested it could be opened all night if demand from the hotel and other users existed.

Some councillors raised concerns about sewerage capacity. However, South West Water stated that storm overflow at the pumping station and the local sewer flooding downstream from the proposed development “is being investigated so the issues should hopefully be resolved before any new connection takes place”.

While the council’s landscape architect and urban designer retained their recommendations to refuse the scheme, officers said “the benefits of the proposal are considered to demonstrably outweigh the harm” with conditions put in place to mitigate certain impacts.

Cllr Davey said the committee would now have to wait to see whether the applicant would submit a revised scheme or try to appeal. Malcolm Gigg, the agent for the applicant, was contacted for comment but was unavailable.

At the April meeting, he said the scheme would benefit the area by providing ‘much-needed accommodation’ from both the residential and hotel perspective. He said the extent of the work needed to retain the existing building was ‘unachievable’.

The Devoncourt was generally considered to be Exmouth’s finest hotel before it began offering 25-year timeshare rooms in the 1980s.

Among the local residents against the plans, one said in his submitted objection to the council: “I object to the thoughts that planning take no notice of what is going on with all of said people who object to a monstrosity that no one wants, when we already have a hotel that everyone loves to visit on a daily basis.

“Who in their right mind planned a carbuncle of this magnitude only to destroy a hotel that has great views of Exmouth and good facilities for all to enjoy, two swimming pools and beautifully kept gardens?

“What a waste, so please wake up as to what you are destroying here now. Throw these plans in the bin where they belong.

“The residents who live all around the area object to these plans and also all who use the hotel for the facilities don’t want what you want, so as I said get your heads out of the sand and scrap the idea completely as it’s not needed.”

Water firms in England and Wales have reportedly declared they want to increase bills by between 24 per cent and 91 per cent over the next five years, according to a consumer watchdog.

Brendan McFadden inews.co.uk

Southern Water is asking for the biggest increase of 91 per cent, which would mean its customers’ bills would rise from the current level of £479 to £915 per year, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).

South Staffordshire and Cambridge Water are requesting the lowest rise – of 24 per cent – which equates to a £43 rise in their bills.

Firms have defended their request by saying higher bills will fund £100bn of spending over the next five years.

They claim the cash will fund replacing ageing, leaking pipes as well as stemming sewage discharges into rivers and seas.

The firms’ request comes in advance of a meeting by water industry regulator Ofwat this week, where it will set out what companies can charge their customers from next year up until 2030.

The regulator is understood to agree bill rises of at least half the amount that the companies have requested.

In some cases it is believed that Ofwat will request rises of more than half that has been requested.

Mike Keil, chief executive of the CCW, said bill rises were “going to come as a massive surprise to people”.

“People do want to see improvements, they do understand that takes investment, but I think the scale of what’s being proposed here is going to come as a real shock and this is why water companies have double down on their efforts to explain what people are getting for their money,” Mr Keil said.

Increases which have been proposed include forecasted inflation rate of 2 per cent.

The data take in changes the companies, Ofwat and other bodies such as the Environment Agency (EA) have made to their proposal for the future since their five-year plans for the period 2025-2030 were submitted in October.

Proposed increases include a forecast inflation rate of 2 per cent, in line with the Bank of England’s target.

Katy Taylor, Southern Water’s chief customer officer, said the company shared “everyone’s concerns about rising payments”, adding: “the water needs of our water-stressed region pose a unique set of challenges which require significant investment”.

Ms Taylor added cash from higher bills would be used to “reduce the use of storm overflows, safeguard water supplies for a rapidly growing population, and protect the environment”.

Water UK, which represents suppliers, said bill rises were “never welcome”, adding water companies were “massively increasing the level of financial support they offer to customers who struggle to pay their bills”.

The request for bill increases comes after a study published this year found water bosses have pocketed more than £25m in bonuses, benefits and other incentives since the general election in 2019.

Data compiled by Labour found the chief executives of nine water companies in England have pocketed millions on top of their basic pay over the past four years.

Since the election water chiefs received more than £10m in bonuses, nearly £15m in incentives and £621,580 in benefits, the analysis found.

The cash includes £1.4m in bonuses last year, down from £3.1m paid in 2022.

The release of the figures comes amid widespread outrage at the amount of sewage water companies are pumping into the nation’s rivers and lakes.

According to analysis from i published last week, water companies discharged sewage for more than 56,000 hours between them in rivers just down the road from their own headquarters last year.

Ofwat and the EA have come under fire for failing to do enough to protect consumers and take proper action against water companies for pumping sewage into the UK’s waterways.

Latest official data show water companies across England spilled sewage 464,056 times in 2023.

In one incident revealed by the BBC, United Utilities illegally pumped around 10 million litres of sewage into Lake Windermere in February.

The company blamed a telecoms fault in the area – but critics claim it failed to address the problem and let the EA know about it for nearly 10 hours.

A spokesperson for the company told the BBC: “As soon as we discovered this fault was affecting the Glebe Road pumping station, our engineers took urgent steps to resolve the situation.”

More than one in six customers considered water bill rises affordable, according to a recent survey by Ofwat.

How much do companies want to hike bills by?

• Southern Water: an increase of 91 per cent to £915
• Thames Water: an increase of 59 per cent to £749
• Hafren Dyfredwy: an increase of 56 per cent to £676
• Severn Trent: an increase of 50 per cent to £657
• Wessex Water: an increase of 50 per cent to £822
• Yorkshire Water: an increase of 46 per cent to £682
• Dŵr Cymru: an increase of 43 per cent to £702
• United Utilities: an increase of 38 per cent to £666
• South East Water: an increase of 35 per cent £330
• Pennon: an increase of 33 per cent to £644
• Portsmouth Water: a increase of 31 per cent to £157
• SES: an increase of 30 per cent to £315
• Anglian Water: an increase of 29 per cent to £682
• Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water: an increase of 26 per cent to £530
• Affinity Water: an increase of 25 per cent to £294
• South Staffs & Cambridge Water: an increase of 24 per cent to £221

“It is ironic that all the councillors from Brixham and the affected areas are Conservatives. Their actions have now resulted in us not being able to hold SWW to account on behalf of the community.” Opposition leader Steve Darling (Lib Dem).

Guy Henderson – Local Democracy Reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

‘It would have been a very opportune moment to hold them to account’

Torbay Council has been left in a state of ‘paralysis’ in the aftermath of a stormy mayor-making meeting which resulted in opposition councillors walking out.

Liberal Democrats, independents and the lone representative of Prosper Torbay got up and left the chamber in protest as the meeting at the Riviera Centre ended in chaos.

Now a string of meetings – including a showdown with South West Water – has been called off because the make-up of the council’s committees will not be decided until after a crucial by-election in Torbay next month.

The Riviera Centre meeting saw the council’s Conservatives – the largest single party group – vote against the appointment of Liberal Democrat mayor-elect Swithin Long, despite having previously given him their unanimous backing.

The position of mayor – normally ceremonial – is more delicate this year because the council is split 18-17 in favour of the non-Tory opposition. The mayor has a casting vote in the event of a tied council decision, making the position crucial in the coming 12 months.

The by-election takes place on Thursday 6 June in Wellswood, which is traditional Tory territory.

The opposition walkout came later in the meeting when council leader David Thomas (Con, Preston) moved a successful motion to adjourn selecting committee memberships and chairs until Thursday 20 June, saying: “It would make sense to deal with it after the by-election.”

The motion, he said, would go straight to the vote with no debate, in line with the council’s own standing orders. This sparked the opposition’s angry walkout.

Now a number of key meetings scheduled for the next month have had to be called off because the committees have no chairs or members.

A meeting focusing on adult social care has been axed, along with one on caring for children and young people. The council’s audit committee will skip its scheduled meeting, as will the overview and scrutiny board and committees overseeing Oldway Mansion and Torbay’s harbours.

Opposition leader Steve Darling (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe) said: “The council is effectively paralysed.”

Representatives from South West Water (SWW) and the Environment Agency had been due to face councillors at the overview and scrutiny board on Wednesday 5 June, but that meeting is on the ‘cancelled or postponed’ list.

“With the current cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham, it would have been a very opportune moment to hold them to account,” said Cllr Darling.

“It is ironic that all the councillors from Brixham and the affected areas are Conservatives. Their actions have now resulted in us not being able to hold SWW to account on behalf of the community.”

Today’s headlines.

The sooner the election the better – Owl