BUDE-Stratton Town Council still hopes to have a replacement building erected at the Summerleaze Downs pitch and putt site, despite it recently being rejected by Cornwall Council.
The town council’s application for a replacement building and new car park at the pitch and putt site was turned down by planners who said it would result in the loss of recreational space and introduce ‘a physical and perceived coalescence between the built form of Flexbury and Bude, which erodes and harms the open recreational character of this green space defined an Open Area of Local Significance’.
Speaking as a member of the public at the meeting of the town council’s property committee last Thursday, mayor Cllr Lea Deely said: “I have used the pitch and putt with family many times over the years, and would hate us to lose the facility.
“I would like to ensure, after the application has been turned down, that the council do their utmost to keep the facility open for the residents of Bude as well as visitors.”
Town clerk Donna James said that since the planning application was refused, she had received some advice from a Cornwall Council planning officer who informed her that as the application was refused purely on grounds of the car park, the council could resubmit the application minus the car park aspect free of charge if it was done within a year.
Other options would be to alter the application and submit it at a cost or to just leave it as it is, added Miss James.
Cllr Julia Bryson and Cllr Lesley Moores were both quick to state that they felt the committee should take the advice and resubmit the application without the car park as they felt the council should make the most of the fact it would be free to do.
Cllr Bryson added: “We must continue with the application for the replacement building as it’s something for people to do indoors, with such beautiful views around too. It would be perfect to be able to sit in the building with a little café in it.”
Cllr Norman Tucker’s concern was that he did not feel anyone would take on the pitch and putt without a few parking spaces to go with it: “I’m not saying to put a full-on car park on the green but I do think something needs to be there.
“When visitors are driving past looking for something to do, they’d want to be able to just pull in and go in, and by not having anything there they may be put off bothering.”
But Cllr Frank Partridge felt it best to steer clear of any notion of more parking around the site being added, despite it not being the intention of the council in the first place to add a big tarmac car park.
He said: “The pitch and putt has been used for many years without a car park, so there’s no desperate need to add any now.”
The committee decided that the council should resubmit the application.