Removal of G7 hotel’s illegal construction could lead to landslide
The Carbis Bay Hotel want to retain elements that were built without planning permission back in June 2021
A Cornish hotel which controversially built meeting rooms which it wrongly said were required for world leaders attending the G7 Summit wants to keep elements of the illegal construction.
The Carbis Bay Hotel has applied to retain elements that were built without planning permission when it hosted the G7 Summit of international leaders in June 2021. The hotel argues that to remove concrete slabs and foundations could lead to the risk of a landslide and be hazardous to people using Carbis Bay beach and the neighbouring South West Coastal Path.
The hotel on Beach Road, near St Ives, has applied to Cornwall Council’s planning department for the “habitat enhancement and retention of concrete structures, section of the post and wire fence on land to the west of hotel and the tarmac service access track and stone terracing to the south of the hotel and erection of a gated access”.
There was huge controversy and protests when the hotel’s owner built the unauthorised “meeting rooms” beneath the coastal path and in front of the beach at Carbis Bay in time for the summit, which was attended by the likes of US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister (at the time) Boris Johnson, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel.
Cornwall Council previously issued an enforcement notice ordering the hotel to remove the pods and meeting rooms – including huge solid concrete footings – and return the site to its original form. The buildings, services, decking and a glass balustrade have or will be completely removed from the site.
However, the hotel proposes to retain some of the constructed features on the site to ensure the beach is protected from possible falling rocks.
Slope Stability Southwest (SSSW) was requested by the applicant to undertake an assessment of the former G7 Conference Facility site, located immediately adjacent to and to the north west of the hotel.
It is the professional opinion of the report’s author that the concrete foundations, retaining wall, stone terrace and granite boulders should be retained to ensure the stability to the site. The assessment states that their removal could “significantly reduce the stability of the slope on the southern boundary of the site, and therefore increase the risk of landslip and collapse of material from the slope face onto the site. Such an event could lead to the damage and destabilisation of the South West Coastal Path and associated risk to safe public transit”.
It adds that the excavation and removal of the “constructed features” is likely to have a significantly destabilising impact on the stability of the site and the slope face. “It is likely that the removal of these features will require large excavators capable of lifting the embedded foundations and it is also likely that significant demolition works will be required using a hydraulic breaker. Both these activities are likely to impose localised dynamic loads to the slope face in excess of 20 tonnes and cause significant vibration to the slope face.
“The works will require the placement and operation of large plant and operatives close to an unsupported slope face. These operations would be considered potentially significantly hazardous.”
The report concludes: “It is the opinion of SSSW therefore that the removal of these features will significantly reduce the geotechnical stability of the site and will therefore significantly increase the risk of future episodes of slope instability including landslip of the upper slope behind the site and possible rockfall and collapse of material from the sea cliffs onto the beach below.”
A similar planning application was withdrawn in November. A decision will be made either by Cornwall Council’s planning department or by committee on a future date. For more details on the application, PA23/10011, click here.