Questions and Answers
Q1. What is the history behind the Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration?
A1. The former Pendower Beach House Hotel, known as the ‘pink hotel’, located on the Roseland Peninsula, has been disused for more than a decade. The site was bought by local businessman Johnny Goldsmith in 2007, who set up Pendower Beach Hotel Holdings Ltd (PBHH Ltd), with a view to breathing life back into what has become a sadly neglected site. The site is being designed in a sensitive way, in keeping with the special character and nature of its coastal location, to protect the local environment, and to provide year-round economic benefit to the local economy.
The initial proposals, originally outlined for the site in 2019/2020, allowed for 25 residential apartments, primarily consisting of 2-bed dwellings, alongside a traditional 14-bedroom hotel. These proposals have been reviewed and amended following feedback from local councils, the local community and other stakeholders, resulting in significantly revised, and reduced plans.
The revised plans have been developed by PBHH Ltd, in consultation with Penryn-based Koha Architects Ltd.
Q2. How have the plans changed?
A2. By removing previously proposed residential homes from the plans, the spread of development up the valley has been removed, minimising development to the north of the site and removing the need for an associated parking area. As a consequence, the new Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration proposals reduce the total build footprint on the site by approximately 25%, limiting it to existing developed areas.
Under the new Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration 2024 proposals, the reduced 2-storey scheme for the aparthotel consists of 23 two and three bed family self-catering suites and a public restaurant with 40 internal and 30-40 external covers, as well as a café and shop for use by beachgoers during the day and evening.
The Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration plans include staff accommodation which means that, in total, up to 92 guests can be accommodated on site, as well as staff. It is envisaged that up to 12-15 staff will be on site at any one time, with 2-4 staff on site at all times. In total 62 car parking spaces will be available for patrons of the hotel and restaurant, as well as staff.
Q3. Why is regeneration of the site important?
A3. In recent years, the run-down hotel has been occupied by squatters and has witnessed undesirable anti-social behaviour on site. The Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration aims to improve and regenerate the site, transforming it into a destination aparthotel together with a beach restaurant, and cafe, which will put an end to misuse of the site that is both damaging to the environment, and unwanted by users of Pendower Beach.
Q4. How have local communities and stakeholders been engaged in the new plans?
A4. The new Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration plans have been shared with the three local Parish Councils of Philleigh, Gerrans and Veryan, and also with the Friends of Pendower Beach organisation. Feedback from these meetings has been taken into consideration, and helped shape the outline development plans that were shared as part of the public consultation event on 05 June. All the feedback from this phase of public consultation has been incorporated into the revised planning submission validated in early February 2024.
News stories on the public consultation appeared online and in print in the West Briton (04 May, front page and page 8), The Western Morning News (27 April), Cornwall Live (26 April), The Packet Series (25 April), and South West Business Insider (27 April). A news story on the announcement of the date of the public consultation appeared in the Falmouth Packet online (15 May), on Yahoo News (15 May) and MSN News (16 May). Roseland Magazine ran a piece on the public consultation on 27 May. Roseland Online also ran a piece on the event in their calendar. Other coverage included pieces on Truro Voice online and in print on 5th June generating 25 news items in total.
Full page adverts announcing the public consultation were placed in both The West Briton on 25 May (page 6) and 01 June, and in The Packet Series (page 21) Wednesday 24 May, and on In Your Area with digital promotional campaigns.
A total of 5,500 fliers promoting the public consultation were distributed between Thursday 25 May and Friday 2 June to properties in St Mawes, Veryan, Gerrans, St Just In Roseland, Portscatho, Philleigh, Tregony, Truro, Tresilian, Pendower, Grampound, Trewithian, Portloe, and Ruan Lanihorne. Fliers were also made available at Shallikabooky.
Notices were placed in The West Briton (01 June), The Packet Series (31 June), and in Roseland Magazine (from 25 June).
Additionally, social media posts were shared on both Instagram and Facebook, the first of which was posted on 25 April, followed by posts on 10, 12, 16, 19, 24, 27 May, and in the week of 29 May, and on 05 June, detailing information about the proposals and the public consultation event and process. This included a boosted Event campaign running from 27 May-05 June, encompassing individuals with Facebook accounts in a 16 km radius of Pendower Beach. Post-public consultation social media posts were also shared on 6th, 8th, 12th, and 19th June, drawing attention to the public feedback survey. The outcome was a total reach of 13,141, 3,095 post engagements, and 751 link clicks to the website.
Most recently, coverage on the submission of the plans, which are now available to view on the Cornwall County Planning Portal, appeared on Roseland online on 01 March 2024, on Business Cornwall, and Falmouth Packet on 04 March 2024, and on Cornwall Live on 05 March.
Q5. How will the public consultation influence the plans?
A5. Feedback from the public, parishes, ‘Friends of Pendower’ and other consultations has resulted in further amendments to the plans. PBHH Ltd’s formal plans have since been submitted to Cornwall Council.
A full Environmental Impact Assessment accompanies the proposals as part of the planning application.
As part of PBBH Ltd’s commitment to the local community, plans are in place to set up a voluntary £25,000 Building Community Project Fund for the parishes of Philleigh, Gerrans and Veryan. This will enable local groups or organisations to apply for funding towards works of value to local communities. PBHH Ltd intends to set this up so that the funds provided can be allocated to good causes and charities chosen in association with representatives from the local council. This community initiative sits outside any planning obligations and would be set up once work on the regeneration of the Pendower Beach Hotel commences.
Q6. How can we be sure that the developer is not going to go back to apply for more development post-planning?
A6. The site has a number of environmental designations and constraints which, combined with feedback from the previous outline proposal, means that development is limited to only those areas shown in the current proposals. The previous planning submission for more development was withdrawn as a result of Cornwall Council confirming there was too much development and spread up the valley which would have had an impact on the sensitive setting. The revised proposals have therefore significantly reduced the amount and spread of the development and limited the new building development to areas of previously developed land as advised by Cornwall Council.
Q7. Why is an aparthotel model being adopted?
A7. Under the proposed aparthotel model, apartments will be sold to private owners, and will be restricted to holiday use only. These apartments are made available to the hotel to market for short stays when not being used by owners. This model is currently seen as the best way to make Pendower Beach hotel not only economically viable year-round, but an asset to the local economy and community; given the restraints on use and multiple designations on the site.
The aparthotel model requires fewer on-site staff than a traditional hotel, and therefore needs less staff accommodation. This, in turn, reduces the overall size of the necessary development on site in order to make the business viable for the long term, while providing a sustainable source of employment and income generation year-round.
This aparthotel model is seen as the best solution to creating a viable development proposal that minimises development on the site at the same time as retaining existing use and operational capacity viability.
Q8. How does the Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration plan deliver a year-round offer that will add to the local economy outside the school holidays?
A8. Specifically targeted at the family market and visitors looking for long-stays, as opposed to 1-2 nights offered by more traditional hotel set-ups, the proposed Pendower Beach aparthotel differs significantly from the likes of The Nare Hotel at Carne Beach.
Its visitor profile will include families with school children in the holiday periods, pre-school parents and their families, mature families, groups of couples, and groups of retirees year-round, especially in the shoulder periods. These groups will bring valuable spending power throughout the year that will benefit local businesses, shops, pubs, cafes, outlets, and attractions.
Q8a. What services will the on-site shop provide?
A8a. The shop will provide refreshments, ice creams, and snacks, as well as essential items for hotel guests.
Q9. How do you know that an aparthotel model is viable for Pendower?
A9. Guidance on the aparthotel model has been provided by hotel experts Savills whose findings have fed into the financial viability for the project and site as part of the planning application. This report helps to show the wider benefit of the aparthotel model to the local economy.
Q10. How will local businesses benefit from the proposed aparthotel?
A10. In addition to up to 15 staff who will run the aparthotel and restaurant, the work on the aparthotel will benefit the local economy through:
- the use of local businesses and supply chain during the construction phase
- purchase of food and drink from local producers once the restaurant opens
- use of local services, such as commercial laundry services.
One of the key benefits of the aparthotel self-catering model is that staying guests are more likely to contribute to the local economy through the patronage of local shops.
Q11. What are you doing to make sure that any changes to the hotel are low impact/sympathetic to its surroundings?
A11. Great care is being taken to ensure that the design and build of the Pendower Beach Hotel Regeneration is low impact, using local materials and stone to enhance the look of the two-storey buildings so that they fit well with the natural environment, and match the style of period buildings in the locality. Additionally, slate pitched roofing is being designed to run in line with the contours of the hillside, with green roofing to the rear of many of the buildings.
The proposed new southern buildings will be lower in height than other existing buildings, and dark materials will be used to help blend these into the surrounds.
The existing farmhouse, which is the oldest building on site, will be restored and refurbished using lime mortar pointing with lime rendered walls on both it and other traditional buildings, where retained. Elsewhere Cornish hedging will be used to screen the car parking area. As a result, viewed from the beach, the visual impact of the new design remains very similar to that of the current building footprint.
Importantly, the new proposals are subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment, which is a process that protects sensitive sites through evaluating proposals in terms of impacts during construction and operation.
Q12. How will the green roofs fit into the location?
A12. The extensive Green roofs use native planting, varying in depth. The colours of the planting will help the development blend and fit into the natural context. The green roofs will help to retain water and reduce run-off, as will permeable paving.
Q13. What will you do to prevent the AONB’s sensitive environment from being damaged by the proposed works?
A13. As part of the proposals for the revitalised hotel, the existing oil and gas infrastructure will be removed and replaced with new renewable low energy systems, helping to lower the carbon footprint of the hotel, while also removing a source of pollution to the nearby environment.
The septic tanks that currently leach pollutants into the existing surrounding ground will be removed and replaced with a new sewerage treatment plant to address soil drainage from the site.
Additionally, sustainable drainage systems will be introduced, including vegetated swales that slow water, facilitating sedimentation, filtration through the roots and soil matrix, evapotranspiration and filtration into the underlying soil, bringing ecological benefit to the site. Permeable paving, and green roofs will also be used to improve water retention and reduce surface water flooding. Overhead power cables will be buried, and the old oil and LPG energy supply will be replaced with a Ground Source Heat Pump array to meet the heating and hot water and cooling demands of the hotel and restaurant.
We have also undertaken a suite of ecology surveys at the site for a number of years and, as a result, have a good understanding of the species and habitats present. We are proposing compensatory measures where features cannot be retained (such as the providing a new bat roost to compensate for the loss of a roost within one of the old hotel buildings), whilst retaining and enhancing the habitats of highest value at the site. There will also be a suite of mitigation measures to safeguard the designations surrounding the site, notably associated with the coastline, details of which are outlined below in the answer to question 14.
Q14. What are you doing to protect the environment?
A14. PBHH Ltd has sought advice from specialists in their field to ensure that the proposals being put forward protect and nurture the sensitive nature of the environment in which the site is set. This includes advice from ecologists, acoustic consultants, experts in planning, transport, civil engineering and geotechnical design. Building with Nature principles will be adopted, advised by the landscape consultant for the project, who is an is an approved assessor for this scheme.
Under the custodianship of PBHH Ltd, the multiple environmental designations that exist on site will be protected. This includes the ongoing removal of invasive species that threaten the natural environment including Japanese Knot Weed and Montbretia, which are covered under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act. The on-site management company will be responsible both for the hotel grounds, and the management of the natural native landscape in perpetuity. This will lead to positive benefits for both the beach and the surrounding area, and will also protect against anti-social behaviour in the area.
Plans for a Bat Roost Building, which follow guidelines from the Bat Conservation Trust, are being developed with advice from a specialist ecologist consultant, in consultation with other local experts, as part of the overall scheme.
Other measures that will benefit the local environment through ecological, hydrological, landscape and energy enhancements include:
- New native planting
- Wet woodland restoration and ponds
- Allowing the hillside to develop through natural succession into a native scrub habitat, beneficial to reptiles, wildlife and plants.
- Retention of all significant trees
- Adoption of green roofs accounting for 30.18% of all all building footprint at the hotel (up from 29.6% in the 2020 outline plans), reducing rainwater run-off
- Use of permeable paving to reduce water runoff
- Adoption of high-quality green infrastructure as part of the proposals
- The introduction of lighting that is sympathetic to nocturnal habitats including bats
- The integration of bird boxes, bat boxes and bee bricks
- Planting for biodiversity
- Coastal area wildflower meadow areas
- Use of Cornish hedging
- A 15% increase in tree canopy cover
- Use of renewable energy
- Grey water harvesting
- On-site sewerage treatment
- Burying of overhead power cables on site below ground
- Removal of unsympathetic extensions to the original farmhouse
- Safe removal of historic potential pollutants from site
- Repositioning of a block away from wet woodland, shortening its length and visual impact from the South West Coast Path
- Change in building angles to protect trees on site
- Cliff stabilisation to safeguard beach and slipway access to the site via Rocky Lane, and safeguard the existing South West Coast Path
- Together this delivers a biodiversity net gain of 17% (with 10% the minimum requirement).
Q15. How will you reduce the carbon footprint of the aparthotel at Pendower Beach?
A15. Proposals include the installation of e-charging bays, e-bikes, and use of minibus transport options for staff to minimise impact. Energy efficient heating, lighting and water treatment facilities will be in place. These include:
- Ground Source Heat Pump array to meet the heating and hot water demands of the hotel and restaurant
- Green roofs accounting for 30.18% of all building footprint at the hotel (up from 29.6% in the 2020 outline plans), reducing rainwater run-off
- Use of renewable energy
- Grey water harvesting
Q16. How will access for visitors to Pendower Beach be protected during any construction works, and beyond?
A16. PBHH Ltd plans to enhance access for the public to Pendower Beach with the incorporation of a defined pedestrian walkway running alongside Rocky Lane road. This will improve safe access from the off-site car park for locals and for users of the beach.
Alongside the protection of the coastline through cliff stabilisation to protect Rocky Lane (future proofing it against coastal erosion) the plans also offer improved and secured access to the slipway, improved signposting and road marking, as well as a turning head on site to allow vehicles to easily turn at the bottom of Rocky Lane. This work will help to retain two points of public access to Pendower Beach. It will also safeguard the existing South West Coast Path.
Pedestrian access to Pendower Beach along Rocky Lane will be maintained at all times throughout the improvement works. Whilst works are being undertaken on the seaward side, the pedestrian route will be on the landward side and visa-versa when work is undertaken on the landward side.
The cliff stabilisation will depend on the final approved plan, but it is anticipated that this will include an anchored slope landward side, and piled wall seaward side, taking an estimated 12-16 weeks to complete once work begins. Anchors are expected to be a minimum of 3m in length, extending to 6m, depending on the rock-quality, bore/nail diameter and restoring forces required, particularly for the lower sea-ward side element which retains the road.
Without the development of the hotel, Rocky Lane, which is not owned by the hotel, will remain at risk of natural erosion. The Council has stipulated that all costs relating to the design and construction needed to stabilise and protect Rocky Lane should be borne by the hotel development company alone. The £1m+ stabilisation work will be undertaken to protect the road, coastal path and Rocky Lane car park from further coastal erosion, preserving these for use by future generations.
Q17. How will disruption caused by site traffic and cliff stabilisation work on Rocky Lane be minimised to limit issues with access to the beach?
A17. A Construction and Environment Management Plan (CEMP) has been produced to show how pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the cliff stabilisation work. Additionally, the road stabilisation works between the road and the hotel entrance will be carried out off-season to minimise disruption to the existing car park. The Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) that has been produced outlines the works and sequencing addressing construction traffic, public protection during construction, access provisions during the road / site works, site storage principles, sediment control and so on.
Q18. How will the aparthotel benefit local users of the beach?
A18. The proposals will improve public amenities at Pendower Beach. The hotel will provide public access to a planned new café/ice cream shop and restaurant, for use by beachgoers and walkers from the South West Coast Path during the day and evening. The operating hotel will improve natural surveillance of the beach and surrounding areas and help tackle anti-social behaviour.
Q19. What will happen to the Shallikabooky Beach Hut?
A19. Shallikabooky Beach Hut café has operated on the Pendower Beach Hotel site for over 6 years and will continue to do so until any proposals are agreed. After this point, it is hoped that work will begin on site. This will require vacation of the premises. This has been discussed in detail with the owner of Shallikabooky Beach Hut café. The operation of the new café/restaurant and shop will depend on the operator in charge of running the site.
Q20. What other benefits will the new aparthotel bring to users of Pendower Beach?
A20. Plans are in place to provide educational materials and information boards which will explain the unique and sensitive environment in the vicinity of the hotel, including the beach, helping to build awareness about this important location, and the measures that are being undertaken to enhance the local environment.
These boards will provide information, among other things, on:
- the petrified forest (how it was formed, why it is important – measures taken to protect it)
- the bat roost building (how it will help the local bat population, what bats you might see)
- Bat Boxes and Bird Boxes, bee bricks
- the swales/vegetation/filtration sustainable drainage system to reduce flooding, and pollution on the beach (how it works, how it improves the environment)
- micro-plastics, and how nets (hanging from the boards) can be used to collect and dispose of microbeads to clean up the environment
- shoredock species in the region
- the SSSI environment
- Looking after the Pendower Beach hotel site in an AONB
Q21. What happens during the application process?
From the planning submission validation date there is a 16-week planning period commences (due to EIA status).
During this period Cornwall Council will continue statutory consultations with the public, National Trust, AONB, Environment Agency, and other relevant bodies.
Cornwall Council’s case officer will collate public and consultee comments submitted on the planning portal and, along with SCI document and full EIA process, will then determine if the development is ‘in the public interest’ and if exceptional circumstances are demonstrated in accordance with the requirements of NPPF Paragraph 177.
At the end of this process, and at a date yet to be determined, Cornwall Council’s decision notice will be issued.
Q 22. How is the Bat Roost Building beneficial to local populations of bats, and why is this better than what currently exists?
A.22 The proposed bat roost located at the north of the site is designed to compensate for the loss of existing roosts within the hotel buildings. In 2022 roosts for lesser horseshoe and common pipistrelle were recorded, and accordingly the proposed roost will cater specifically to these species, whilst there will be opportunities for other species of bats to use the building, should they choose. This building is designed to support conditions for maternity and hibernation specifically for lesser horseshoe bats through providing stable internal conditions, with a suitable access point, connected to the wider area where this species forages, namely the woodland, stream and coastline. This building can then be maintained as required, ensuring a long term roost is available for the bats at the site, whereas in the absence of works the existing hotel will continue to fall into disrepair which limits the lifespan of the structure to support roosting conditions in the long term.
Q23. What other actions are you taking to enhance and protect flaura, fauna and wildlife?
A.23
Bat Boxes and Bird Boxes, bee bricks
Numerous faunal enhancements will be proposed to be included as part of the project providing further opportunities for fauna at the site. These will target species of conservation priority such as bats and declining birds such as swifts. Locations will be designed to most benefit target species, for example bat boxes and bee bricks will be located to maintain a warm temperature whereas bird boxes will be located on northerly aspects to avoid overheating. Other faunal enhancements will include measures such as log piles in sunny locations adjacent to natural habitat to act as refuges for reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and invertebrates.
Shore dock
Shore dock is known to be present in the region, and its presence is one of the reasons for the coastline here being designated as the Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The habitat for this species is the cliffs and shoreline itself, and as such the development site itself will not directly impact this species. The road stabilisation works have been designed to safeguard this species, with the proposals designed to retain the cliff habitat below the road, allowing for the hydrological and vegetational conditions to be maintained. Indeed, improving the stability of the cliff will limit the threat to this species from landslides. Lastly, the drainage scheme for the project has been designed to safeguard the water quality of the stream, indeed the proposed remediation of the existing septic tank will improve conditions in the long term.
Ecological Designations
There are a number of designations surrounding the site, largely associated with the coastline, along with a County Wildlife Site which is largely located to the north associated with the wooded valley. These designations will be safeguarded through financial contributions made in accordance with local policy designed to mitigate recreational impacts in relation to the Fal and Helford SAC, along with measures to safeguard the designations during construction which will relate to measures to prevent impacts from sources such as pollution, dust deposition, noise and lighting.
The County Wildlife Site (CWS) overlaps with the northernmost part of the site, where some of this land comprises a tennis court and old car parking area, and appears likely, according to CWT/County Ecologist, to have been a mapping error when the CWS was initially designated. A desktop study was undertaken whereby the citation and original survey notes for the CWS were sought however the pages that related to the site and land to the north appears to have been lost and is not available. There will be appropriate management of the adjacent woodland habitat, along with the enhancement of the habitat to the south located on the south western slope, effectively extending this area further to the south, better connecting it to the shoreline designations. Habitat management and creation to the west and south of the site is proposed, significantly enhancing the ecological value of the Site.
-Ends-
