Teignmouth boatyard plans rejected

It's the former gas works

A major plan to regenerate Teignmouth’s Riverside Boatyard is not going ahead.

The district council’s planning committee voted against the mixed-use application for the site on Bishopsteignton Road featuring nine homes, industrial units, offices, beach huts and boat storage.

The boatyard previously housed the town’s gas works and currently combines small business units with boat storage. Those behind the ‘Riverside Regeneration Project’ wanted to create a “positive impact on the town in a variety of ways.”

Teignmouth Maritime Properties Ltd’s plan was to redevelop the site entirely, demolishing the existing industrial boatyard buildings and putting up new five industrial units, offices, nine open market homes and 16 beach hut-style holiday units along with a new sea wall.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday [25 October], managing director Peter Stenner said: “This design has been progressed from my wish to provide several specific facilities to meet and enhance the needs of the community, including fledgling businesses, visitors, and at the same time secure the site for generations to come.

“I’m trying to give something back to the town that I grew up in and live in with my family.”

He added the offices would help to address the shortage currently in Teignmouth, while the residential units would “effectively provide a subsidy” to build the sea wall and keep the cost of the commercial units “affordable” to local businesses.

Mr Stenner concluded that with a “leap of faith and support from you the committee, I can convert this rundown, brownfield site into an area that will bring significant benefits to one of the poorest wards of Teignbridge and establish a facility for future generations.”

The plan was supported by local Teignmouth district councillors Nina Jeffries and David Cox (both Liberal Democrats), who said it would result in a number of benefits to the community, including more employment, regenerating the area and an increase in holiday accommodation.

But council planning officers recommended refusal, writing in their report: “Officers do not consider that there is any justification for such a large scale of development,” and referred to the “four-storey heights of the residential and commercial blocks.”

They concluded that while they “welcome the applicant’s intention to secure the viability of the boatyard for the long term, the scheme as put forward has been shown to be undeliverable.

“It is unclear that the limited public benefits in terms of the enhanced boatyard and employment generation through the office floorspace could be realised.”

The report goes on to say: “Development of this site will permanently detract from what is a largely undeveloped and attractive landscape – one which contributes to the strong tourist economy in Teignmouth and Shaldon and which is visible to all travelling south west along the mainline railway.”

A number of positive and negative comments about the scheme were received by the district council. Some favoured redeveloping the ‘neglected’ site which has become an ‘eyesore,’ while others expressed concern about the size of the plans along with a lack of affordable housing.

Ultimately, a majority of committee members supported the recommendation, with Councillor Alistair Dewhirst (Lib Dem, Ipplepen) outlining “a large number of really concerning issues,” including the loss of over 800 square metres of habitat within the Teign Estuary County Wildlife site.

“I do commend the applicant for bringing something forward, but personally I really think it needs lots more work before it becomes really something that I could support,” he said.

Cllr Dewhirst’s proposal to refuse the application was approved by eight votes to two.