Originally a family home, the house was a hotel until 1987 and a care home until closure in 2012, after which since the building was allowed to fall into minor but recoverable disrepair. In 2022 the site was purchased by Stone River Investments, who say they tried to make good the building but the damage to both the roof and the internal fabric was far worse than their initial inspection had suggested. As a result they applied to demolish the building and construct six new residential dwellings.

The site itself sits within the AONB and the undeveloped coast, and is separated only by a lane from the South Efford Marsh Nature Reserve.

Considering the proposed development against Section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act, and NPPF, JLP and the AONB Management Plan policies, we concluded the development was not supported. As the case officer noted in his report, other statutory consultees also objected, and the application was refused.

Since then the applicant has appealed the decision and the Society submitted a second letter of representation, this time to the Inspector evaluating the appeal.

The appeal has since been dismissed, with the Inspector concluding:

the effects of the development would be unacceptable, giving rise to conflict with the development plan taken as a whole. There are no other considerations which alter or outweigh these findings.