A business in South Sands has called for an “amnesty” to resolve the conflict surrounding the closure of the Tides Reach hotel visitors’ car park.

Sea Kayak Salcombe, which has operated out of the Old Lifeboat Station for 17 years, relies on informal use of the car park next to the decaying hotel, currently owned by Harbour Hotels.

But the car park was locked up and barricaded shut last month, with Harbour Hotels stating their lawyers had advised them “until the hotel is re-opened the car park must remain closed and cannot be used for anything else”.

The hotel chain is blaming the fiasco on legal challenges from the campaign group Keep South Sands Beautiful, who oppose Harbour Hotels’ plans to redevelop the Tides Reach. Their threats of judicial review have “locked the site in legal wranglings with South Hams District Council,” a spokesperson for Harbour Hotels said.

But a spokesperson for Keep South Sands Beautiful said: “Anticipated problems for local businesses ... have long been amongst the many reasons for objection to the planning application. That these problems have arrived early is entirely a result of the arbitrary and unnecessary closure of the car park at the start of this season.

“That the approval of the application would eventually have the same result, does not mean or require that the car park need be closed now before consent has been granted.”

The fenced-off visitors’ private car park has space for up to 42 cars, and was integral to attracting the public to South Sands, particularly customers of Sea Kayak and the South Sands Ferry.

Ben Sherring, owner of Sea Kayak said: “At this moment in time the immediate area is without a car park facility, the existing car park, which is privately owned, has previously been open to the public for a small fee and has been used extensively over the years. How can we invite the visitors down to enjoy this glorious place if we do not provide adequate car parking?”

Tim Tucker, owner of the South Sands Ferry said: “There’s been some effect, people can’t park in South Sands, turn around and then go away.”

Following a social media campaign drawing attention to their plight, Mr Sherring and Mr Tucker met with representatives of the Harbour Hotels, the South Sands Ferry and district councillor Simon Wright.

Ben Sherring, owner of Sea Kayak said: “We all discussed amicably the immediate situation about the lack of car parking spaces and its resultant effects. It was extremely pleasing to note a consequence of that meeting resulted in the construction of parking provision for our staff.”

The next day, Harbour Hotels knocked down a wall and the space in front of the Tides Reach was opened up for up to eight cars.

Harbour Hotels, who also own and run the Harbour Hotel in Salcombe, received permission last year for their plans to redevelop the Tides Reach. They acquired the hotel from the Eden Hotel Collection - who pulled out due to opposition to their plans. But despite Harbour Hotels’ new plans receiving permission in October last year, work has yet to begin, with the company blaming legal challenges from the campaign group Keep South Sands Beautiful for “delaying the re-opening by a year”.

Keep South Sands Beautiful was formed in early 2015, to oppose the original Eden plans, which were described at the time by the group as “dominant and overbearing”.

The group continued their campaign when Harbour Hotels bought the site and submitted new plans in 2016. They received planning permission for what they describe as a “more sensitive planning application” in October 2016.

A spokesperson for Harbour Hotels said: “The car park was originally fenced off after an order from SHDC to secure the site on health and safety grounds. The hotel car park is private land but the numerous customers of the hotel provided a good base for other local businesses including local Kayak and Ferry businesses.

“Harbour Hotels has offered the kayak business temporary storage space and has offered financial assistance to both whilst the legal wrangling with Keep South Sands Beautiful continues. Harbour Hotels has, since March this year, been pleading with South Hams District Council to bring the matter before a new planning committee but this has not yet happened.”

Earlier this year, the Keep South Sands Beautiful group attempted to have the car park listed as an asset of community value earlier this year, but this was rejected by SHDC. The campaign have stated that the car park had been used by the public since the mid-1950s, according to John Edwards, former owner of the Tides Reach.

A spokesperson for Keep South Sands Beautiful said: “After its closure a group of 30 or more local residents and rate payers made an application for the registering of the car park as an asset of community value, so that if by chance it ever came up for sale, the community would have the right to put in a bid to purchase it.

“The application for registration was at first refused by the council, but as with Harbour Hotels’ planning application, which SHDC at first resolved to approve, when errors of law in its rationale were pointed out, the council decided it would have to further consider the matter, which is what it is supposed to be doing at present. I would stress that such an application and registration, although enabled and thus encouraged by legislation, does not affect use or property rights, except as indicated above.”