White Cliffs Hotel Planning

White Cliffs Hotel 19/00112

The Parish Council objected strongly to the application to close this village hospitality asset  and  conversion of the grade 2 listed building into 3 residential units.  Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, permission was granted in December. Your Parish Council find it particularly regrettable that the pub part of the business was not marketed as a going concern and the Planner’s decision was made based on a viability report with questionable assumptions.    There is nothing more we can do. The end of an era!

Planning Application 22/00751 

Your Parish Council submitted this application for the removal of condition 15  – the withdrawing of the public use of the bar and restaurant from 19/001112

This condition has been inserted when permission was granted to erect 2 dwellings in the original car park and the conversion of the 2 annexe buildings in April 2019.

Your Council, having taken legal advice, argued that it was unlawful and neither necessary or appropriate.

Overnight a great village amenity had been lost , without due process or consultation. It was the precursor to the 2020 application 20/01566 –  change of use to the hotel/restaurant/bar building to to residential.

This condition meant that all checks and balances in DDC policies that protect local pubs and shops could be ignored, the business could not be marked as a going concern and viability was of course totally impossible.

On Thursday we achieved the removal of this condition 15 and we are now arguing that  the Change of use application  has to be reconsidered.

Planning link is below:

https://publicaccess.dover.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=RDAX54FZJ5900