Objectors may fight on ‘over a principle’

Although Durrant House Hotel at Northam has been refused permission to develop, people living in the locality who opposed the scheme to extend it are still to meet Mr Peter Mills, MP, today to discuss the matter.
Mr Peter Fletcher, who led the opposition, told the Gazette that the main point to be considered was the principle involved. ‘Many of us’, he said ‘are not happy, and we are going to try to press this matter that people can be affected by a planning decision and have no right to demand an inquiry.’ They should not, it was felt, have to appeal ‘to this and that’ and finally to the Queen, as he had done.
The objectors would also like to know why this particular application had been ‘called in’ (taken out of the hands of the local planning authority to be decided by the County Planning Development Plans sub-Committee), he said. But mainly their concern was the principle involved that people affected by a policy decision could do nothing about it other than take it to a court of law.
‘It seems ridiculous’ commented Mr Fletcher. He added that another matter was that there was no development plan for the Orchard Hill ward under the 1962 Act. What was happening was commercial development in a residential area.
Mr Alan Gardner (Clerk of Northam Urban Council), who had not been told officially of the planning decision over the hotel, said that there was not going to be a town map for the urban district. Although there was an outline plan covering Northam and Westward Ho! at the moment there was nothing for the area to the south and nothing for Appledore.
Reason for the rejection by the planners of the scheme to add to Durrant House Hotel a function room to seat 250 people was that the proposal ‘would be likely to cause injury to the residential amenities and character of the existing development in the locality by reason of noise and that the local planning authority consider the existing sewage disposal system to be inadequate for the development proposed.’
Both Northam Urban Council and the Northern Divisional Planning Sub-Committee had previously agreed that the application should be rejected, but the matter was taken out of their hands as being of ‘county importance.’
The hotel company can appeal to the Minister. The managing director, Mr Jim Venus, who has been on holiday in the West Indies, returns home today. Secretary of the company, Mr D H A Peacock, told the Gazette yesterday ‘We have not received any official notice that we have been refused. Until we do receive that notice we are still awaiting a decision.’ He added that the question of an appeal, should this prove necessary, was one for the Board of directors.
Northam Council have been authorised by the County Planning Committee to make a modification Order imposing additional conditions in relation to planning permission granted for a swimming pool, pump house and cubicles at the hotel. The effect of the Order will be to restrict the use of the pool to hotel clients, bring about the removal of a toilet building and require hedge planting and the maintenance of existing hedges and trees.
Gazette article dated 20 January 1967