PLANS to convert the ground floor of a hotel have been given the go ahead, after a planning inspector overturned a decision by Wealden District Council. 

A planning inspector allowed an appeal on proposals to replace the bar and restaurant of the Bay Hotel in Pevensey Bay with a convenience store, which was expected to be taken on by the Co-Op.

The plans, which had proven controversial among local residents, were refused (against officer advice) by Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee South in October last year. 

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The application was refused on three grounds: concerns around highway safety; the impact on the heritage significance of the building; and the loss of community assets.

None of these concerns were upheld by the planning inspector, however.  Following a public hearing last month, the inspector concluded there was no evidence to support the highway safety concerns and that the impact on the heritage of the building would be minimal. 

They also found against the argument that the loss of the bar/restaurant or the new store would impact community assets within Pevensey Bay.

The inspector said: “I appreciate that local people feel the proposed change of use would result in the permanent loss of a valued facility. However, there are other pubs and restaurants in the village which continue to operate.

“The proposal would therefore not leave the village devoid of places where people could meet, socialise, have a meal or drink together. The loss of the hotel’s bar and restaurant may have reduced the choice of available facilities, but it has not adversely affected the community’s ability to meet its day-to-day needs. 

“In these circumstances resisting the change of use has not been justified.”

In light of this, the inspector allowed the appeal, overturning the council’s original decision. 

Despite this, the immediate future of the plans remain uncertain. Speaking in July, the hotel’s owner George Macari said he is planning to sell the property no matter the outcome of the appeal. 

He said this move came from a desire to ‘clear the way’ for a community bid to take over the hotel.