A NEW planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the Tides Reach Hotel at South Sands.

The proposal, submitted to South Hams Council on December 21, is for a 44-room hotel with associated spa, staff facilities, restaurant, parking and ten residential apartments.

The new design and access statement states: ‘The hotel comprises adaption of ten existing rooms at ground and first floor with the addition of a new second floor and new three storey wing providing the remaining 34 rooms.

‘The refurbishment of the hotel provides a restaurant, kitchens and toilet facilities at ground floor with the ten apartments above. Four apartments are to be duplex and designed to take full advantage of the panoramic views.’

The application explains that the new hotel will appeal to ‘the luxury tourism market’ and will include a bridge to provide access to and from a landscaped pond, an open air conference area and a new terrace.

In October, the Eden Hotel Collection sold the site to Harbour Hotels, who already own the Harbour Hotel in Salcombe for an undisclosed sum. Eden said the decision followed continued local opposition to its proposals for a luxury 50-bedroom hotel, despite the plans receiving planning permission in February this year.

Eden’s plans, originally submitted in November 2014, received significant opposition from the local community. People principally objected to the visual impact of the proposed new building, but also raised concerns of insufficient staff parking at the site.

In March, the ‘Keep South Sands Beautiful’ group formed to try and block the massive expansion of the hotel. After failing to persuade South Hams Council to accept that its decision was wrong, KSSB took the legal challenge to the next stage, seeking a judicial review into the council’s decision. In June, a judge ruled that the decision to grant planning permission would not be subject to a judicial review, ruling that ‘it was not possible to demonstrate sufficient fault in the procedures followed by the planning authority.’ KSSB decided not to appeal the decision after hearing that the company was considering ‘going back to the drawing board’ with the design.

The plans can be seen on the South Hams Council planning website, using the reference 2826/15/FUL.