Uncertain Future for Surf Lodge as Plans Rejected
Tuesday, 13th October, 2009 10:20:09 AM
Source: http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/homepagenews/Uncertain-future-surf-lodge-plan...
A SURF lodge has admitted it is in 'limbo' over whether it will be forced to close after its retrospective plans were thrown out.
The Silverspray Lodge, on Trebarwith Crescent, applied to Cornwall Council to convert the premises into a guesthouse for up to 28 people.
The application for the premises, which already operates as a lodge, was opposed by residents and police and rejected by members of Cornwall Council's central area sub planning committee on Wednesday night.
Questions have now been raised as to whether the business can legitimately function without the required planning permission.
Darren Bathe, co-owner, told the Newquay Guardian: "We are still awaiting clarification of the situation at the moment."
In a short statement the council said it was also now looking at how the building is operating. It said: "The matter has been passed on to our central area enforcement team who will assess whether there will be any possible action."
The application had caused uproar among many local residents and town police, who believed it could add to anti-social behaviour problems on Trebarwith Crescent, associated with young people returning to the accommodation late at night.
Cllr Geoff Brown, Newquay Central ward member, told the meeting: "The applicants are trying to put young people in close proximity to elderly and vulnerable people and I think it is quite foolhardy.
"There have also been a lot of concerns raised by Insp Meredith (from Newquay police) relating to anti-social behaviour and this type of accommodation. This is due to the young people returning to the lodge in the early hours of the morning. There have been issues of serious disturbance and that is why the police have made this area a PACT (Partners and Communities Together) priority."
However, Mr Bathe believed the issues surrounding young people in Newquay were being blown out of proportion.
"I think certain people appear to have forgotten what it was like when they were young," he said.
"Young people now are also far less aggressive than they were 20 or 30 years ago.
"There has been a real social shift and perhaps people don't know how to deal with this. Rather than looking at the problem, they are too busy concentrating on the solution rather than the problem."
Mr Bathe also explained that a recent incident, where Trebarwith Crescent residents filmed violent scenes outside the lodge, wasn't as it appeared.
"People from my lodge spotted a young man being attacked on the green field and went out to help him. They dragged him back inside to the safety of the lodge. The other people then came along and smashed a window and kicked in our door. But what they did (the people from the lodge) was responsible and the right thing.
"But some people obviously want to put their own spin on what happened."
This story has been read 764 times.
Most Viewed Stories
Two Teenagers Arrested After Newquay Treviglas School Fire
A school in Cornwall has been severely damaged by fire. ...
No. 1 story. Read the full story
Lads on Sea Sun and Sky
A REALITY show will follow ten single blokes on the hunt for...
No. 2 story. Read the full story
Newquays New Four Screen Cinema
class="first">The long awaited new state-of-the-art four-scr...
No. 3 story. Read the full story
Official Handover of New Newquay Cinema
Construction services firm ISG Pearce Ltd has completed the ...
No. 4 story. Read the full story
Newquay Landlord Fined For Fire Safety Breaches
A landlord from Newquay has been fined for numerous fire saf...
No. 5 story. Read the full story
Top Construction Stories
A Place in the Sun with Beach Views
Surfing is one of the things that Cornwall does best. ...
No. 1 story. Read the full story
Multiplex Cinema for Newquay
A new four-screen multiplex cinema is to open in Newquay, Co...
No. 2 story. Read the full story
Weston Aviation and Newquay Cornwall Airport Showcase their new Facility at EBACE
Newquay Cornwall Airport and its fixed based operator (FBO) ...
No. 3 story. Read the full story
New Development of 14 Exclusive Apartments in Newquay
Offered for sale through Winkworth Exeter is Cribbar –...
No. 4 story. Read the full story
St Columb Major Supermarket Plans Could Kill the Town, say Traders
DEVELOPERS are in talks to build a new supermarket in St Col...
No. 5 story. Read the full story
