Bid to make empty apartments in Carbis Bay a hotel: decision

That was the view of councillors for the Carbis Bay area who pleaded with their colleagues to throw out the change of use proposals.

Cornwall Council’s west sub-area planning committee met on Monday (October 16) to discuss plans by Oceanview Carbis Bay Ltd to turn a block of 37 residential flats for over-55s into an ‘aparthotel’, which would include a gym and reception area. Not one of the apartments, which have cost almost £33m to build, have been sold.

The apartment block was built on the site of the former Cottage Hotel at Boskerris Road in the seaside village. Original planning consent was given on the proviso that the apartments were sold as primary homes for people aged over 55 in line with the special Policy H2 section of St Ives Area Neighbourhood Development Plan, which states new-build properties should only be for “principal residences” to curb the influx of second homes in the area.

However, the applicant has been unable to sell the apartments and has applied to turn the building, which is near Carbis Bay beach, into an ‘aparthotel’ where the flats would be used as holiday accommodation. The planning committee deferred making a decision at their last meeting in September for more clarification of conditions.

'Need for holiday accommodation'

The developer said: “We have explored the rental market, naturally. However, due to the level of debt on this project due to delays, labour and material increases, Covid, etc, we would need to charge £9,500 per month rental, per apartment to service the debt in place, hence why the only viable future of this building is back to the hotel use. More than £32m has been invested into this project now and costs increase every month.”

The applicant stated that the hotel would be in single ownership and individual apartments would not be sold off as second homes. Chris Tofts, speaking on behalf of Oceanview Carbis Bay Ltd, said: “There remains a need for holiday accommodation in the area, otherwise Premier Inn would not still be seeking a 100-bed hotel in St Ives.

"The applicant is fully committed to opening this hotel and although has missed this summer season would very much like to be open for Christmas. The building would offer much-needed employment and they’re looking to getting all-year-round tourism rather than just seasonal tourists.”

He added the hotel would include a 24-hour concierge, daily housekeeping, cleaners, maintenance, gardeners, security, a gym coach, waiting staff for lounge areas, chefs and child-minding. However, local councillors were not happy.

'Running roughshod'

Mayor of St Ives Johnnie Wells, who represents the Lelant ward on St Ives Town Council, said the applicant was running roughshod over the planning system and the area’s unique neighbourhood plan.

He told the committee: “I come here as Mayor of St Ives to express concern that the work our community put into a bespoke award-winning neighbourhood plan is about to be torn up. The application was originally submitted and approved on the strength of three things – that the hotel was no longer financially viable, it would be apartments as homes for over-55s and these homes would be principal residences.

“The benefits of over 35 new homes being added to an area where over 25% of the dwellings stock is some sort of holiday accommodation outweighed concerns about development size and the proposal was approved.”

How the aparthotel in Carbis Bay would look

The mayor added: “This change of use application now the building is nearing completion is a complete U-turn and now claiming a hotel is the only viable option – the very thing they claimed it wasn’t – is beyond contempt. The properties on this development were originally put up for sale and started at over £750,000 for a two-bedroom flat rising to £3 million. Either the developer had some terrible advice or they were never intended to sell, because they were over double the market price of anything comparable in the area. It was no surprise that they didn’t sell. Furthermore, at no time were they offered for sale at any sort of reduced price.”

Cllr Wells stressed the community in the St Ives area is suffering from a housing crisis. He told members he had carried out a search on the internet and found 636 self-catering properties and 93 apartments available for holiday let in Carbis Bay alone.

“I did the same search for long-term rental properties and found just three,” he said. “The last thing Carbis Bay needs is another 37 self-catering holiday lets however you want to dress them up. Our concern here is not merely about the change of use but the potential erosion of a fundamental part of our planning principles to provide houses for people to live in.”

He told the committee: “Right now you have the power to improve the opportunity for people in my parish to have a home in their communities and to demonstrate you will not be hoodwinked by developers to run roughshod over our planning system in order to bail them out.”

'Wholly inappropriate'

Linda Taylor – leader of Cornwall Council, who represents the coastal village – said the application should be refused as it would be “wholly inappropriate and have a severe impact on Carbis Bay”.

She said: “I also did my own research and there is not a need for this new proposal. There are easily over 600 holiday lets available in the Carbis Bay area.” 

Cllr Taylor added the St Ives’ Policy H2 condition was put in place “because of the real need for housing and the protection for our community as we went forward. If the planning committee give permission, both the over-55s and the H2 planning conditions would be circumnavigated and the 37 flats could be used as second homes and / or holiday lets by people of any age.

“Circumnavigating the planning restrictions and, in particular, the Policy H2 should not be an option for any developer … and developers are well aware of that H2 policy when they choose to build in the St Ives area. My real big concern is there are not catered facilities – the design is more like a dwelling. How can we be assured that they will not be leased out? This application is being used by a developer wanting to steamroll against a very bespoke policy and shows a total disregard for the community.”

Cllr Taylor added she was surprised the applicant stated there could be on-site chefs because she hadn’t seen that in “the small print”. “It’s for that very reason it makes myself and a lot of other residents very anxious.”

Where the proposed hotel sits in relation to the beach and nearby Carbis Bay Hotel, which would manage the \'aparthotel\' if approved. (Pic: Google Earth / Cornwall Council)

Cllr Andrew Mitchell, who represents St Ives West and Towednack, also addressed the meeting, calling the application a “complete mess from day one”.

“This should be a brand new application for an aparthotel and therefore there should be an off-site contribution of over £1.2m. I can’t believe that Cornwall Council is allowing the developer to get away with not making that contribution to affordable housing in an area which is desperately crying out for local accommodation,” he said.

“After spending £33m – and I feel sorry for the developer – they’re now trying to ask the planning system to get them out of a failed business plan. That’s not the purpose of this committee to allow that to happen.

“Developers come to Cornwall in the hope of making millions. The flip side of that coin is you could lose millions. I’m sorry but you have to swallow that bitter pill. I think unfortunately that’s what’s happened with this site.”

Appeal warning

Committee members were warned by officers there could be an appeal if they refused the application.

Cllr Loveday Jenkin said there were two different scenarios. “One is that we approve this with all the conditions and then there are applications for conditions be lifted, or, two, we refuse it and the inspector in Bristol approves it. I don’t think there’s an easy answer to this. I don’t have a lot of trust in the inspectorate in Bristol to take our views into account.

“The best way to deal with this is to refuse it because there is no clarity of how you define what is a serviced accommodation and what is an apartment. There are so many loopholes here. We are losing the will of the Neighbourhood Plan.”

Cllr Thalia Marrington was minded to risk a planning inspectorate appeal because of the housing situation in St Ives. “It seems somebody’s walked in and thought how can we get round all these conditions and as a robust council I think we should refuse.”

The committee did indeed unanimously refuse after considering that each unit was a separate residential dwelling as a matter of law and the proposal was in conflict with the Policy H2 condition of the St Ives Neighbourhood Plan.