No decision on meeting rooms at Cornwall's G7 hotel until at least next month
The Carbis Bay started building work without planning permission, ahead of the summit in June
Last updated 19th Aug 2021
A planning application for meeting rooms built without planning permission at the hotel which hosted the G7 summit will not be considered until at least September – six months after it was submitted.
There was outcry earlier this year when the Carbis Bay Hotel started work on meeting rooms overlooking the beach without having secured planning consent for the development.
The hotel said that the rooms were required for the G7 summit which saw world leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden meeting at the hotel.
However the Government insisted that the rooms were not required for the summit and that it had been happy with the facilities already at the hotel when it was chosen as the host venue.
Objectors say that the development should never have been allowed and has destroyed wildlife and environmental habitats in the area.
Cornwall Council had called on the hotel to stop the works but a retrospective planning application was submitted on March 15.
Planning permission had previously been refused for a similar development to build new accommodation for the hotel.
Local Cornwall councillor for Carbis Bay Linda Taylor said that she wanted the application to be considered by a council planning committee.
However, five months later there has been no sign of the application on any committee agenda and it has still not appeared on the agenda for the west sub-area planning committee which is set to meet on Monday (August 23).
That means that the earliest that the application might be considered by councillors will be at the committee’s next meeting on September 20 – more than six months after the application was first submitted.
When asked about the delay and when the application might be considered Cornwall Council said: “Following the full assessment of the planning application, the local member requested that the application be determined by a planning committee, made up of elected Cornwall councillors.
“We are currently awaiting some further information from the applicant in relation to the application. Once this is received, a date will be set for its determination".
There are now 392 comments from members of the public about the plans – the council’s website states that 391 of them are objections.
Cornwall CPRE has also objected to the application saying that they expected the application to be decided in the next few weeks.
Richard Stubbs, chairman of CPRE Cornwall, said: “This hotel has, in defiance of a previous planning refusal, sought to clear a natural area including many established trees, falsely using the G7 as justification. Powerful business interests should not be allowed to trample the planning regulations underfoot. The rules are there to protect the exceptional character and beauty of Cornwall.
“We will be doing our very best to ensure the current planning application is refused and, should it become necessary, that Cornwall Council issues an enforcement order for these buildings to be demolished and removed".
In a statement previously issued by the hotel it said: “The investments in the estate over recent years, including our on-site Energy Centre, have cemented Carbis Bay’s position as one of the UK’s best and greenest destinations, in one of the most beautiful bays in the country.
“We appreciate that our passion and commitment to the environment are shared by many, and would like to address the misunderstanding on social media, and reassure our guests and neighbours about the area that we are working on at the moment.
“Part of our long-standing plans for the estate included clearing a small self-seeded scrubland area to the side of the hotel, and work on this area started several years ago. We can confirm this was not ancient woodland and there are no badger setts on this piece of land.
“We are working closely with a local landscaping team to increase planting in this area replacing the scrubland with a plethora of trees and plants more suited to the coastal environment.
“The South West Coast Path is fully open and there are no plans for this to be re-routed. Our commitment to this important route through the estate includes the upgrading of the existing surface to improve access and safe passage to the beach.
“Carbis Bay Estate is committed to sustainability, and dedicated to protecting the environment now, and for generations to come”.