Bin concerns delay ‘hidden gem’ for Paignton bar’s plans

Molly Malone's is credited with helping rejuvenate the harbour area

Bins have blocked a decision on rejuvinating what’s been described as a ‘hidden gem’ of Paignton harbour.

Councillors have stopped short of approving a major revamp of local business  Molly Malone’s on Paignton harbourside, after concerns were raised about where it stores its rubbish.

Its owners had asked Torbay Council for permission to build a new roof canopy with solar panels, glazing and decking, plus a new loo, but when members of the planning committee met this week they couldn’t agree on how to help.

Eventually they put the plans on ice while bin storage is sorted out.

Molly Malone’s has recently been held up as a shining example of what can be achieved with a Torbay waterfront bar. Cllr Chris Lewis (Con, Preston) urged his colleagues to get behind the plan.

As the council’s portfolio holder for tourism, he said: “Molly Malone’s has helped transform what used to be called Paignton’s hidden little gem.

“Now Paignton Harbour is thriving. It’s still a little gem, but it is no longer hidden.

“The harbour is now a destination that it wasn’t before, and that is in no small part due to the presence of Molly Malone’s.

“I believe that Paignton is on the up, and a big part of that is due to the change in our little gem – Paignton Harbour.

“Be brave, be positive, vote for approval and put confidence in what has happened at the harbour.”

However, council officers recommended the application be turned down. Their report to the committee said the new canopy would have an ‘overbearing impact’ on the South West Coast Path, which passes nearby.

Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) said the proposal was ‘not the best,’ but the harm did not outweigh the benefits, and Cllr Nick Pentney (Lib Dem, Tormohun) said the application was ‘far from perfect.’

But Cllr Anna Tolchard (Con, St Peters with St Marys) wanted a permanent canopy rather than the current temporary one.

Cllr Pentney said the application should be rejected so that the owners could come back with something that answered the committee’s questions, but chairman Cllr Jackie Thomas (Con, Kings Ash) had to use her casting vote to defeat that proposal after the vote was tied.
Instead the committee backed Cllr Tolchard’s proposal to defer a decision for more information on the bins.