Medium Term ( 2 months )

23rd Aug 2025. So reference to the amendment application that we made in May. This application was not validated. It took several weeks to find this out. It turns out that we now need to submit 5 new documents including a new flood survey, Historic documents and further joinery details. The flood survey alone takes 6 weeks. Despite the original application already having one. This is becoming a joke now. Any how, we are on track to submit this paperwork in the next week. Once submitted then there is a further approval time frame of 21 days. Let’s hope it’s approved this time. This process has been quite unbelievable considering the building was bought with planning permission. Unfortunately this was wholly inadequate to make any repairs and didn’t even include missing structural elements. One can only assume that the same level of scrutiny did not apply last time.

28th July 2025. Another disappointing update. After 7 months of my planning consultants and architect, trying to get a response from the Torbay planning department on what they need in order to allow me to start repairing my building. With absolutely zero response. I have recently found out that my amendment submission is invalid as it requires five bits of additional information. One of those is another flood survey. This in itself takes over 6 weeks. I’m also informed that failure to get these items done will mean that the application is discarded. I have asked for an extension but true to form. Torbay planners have not responded. The building is set to endure another winter without repair, and continue to collapse. It would be interesting to hear any other experiences people have had with Torbay planning? We will keep trying but bureaucracy rules for now.

14th May 2025. Latest update. Amendment to planning PP-14019473v1 has just been submitted. Now there’s an 8 week period before I find out the results. Fingers crossed everyone.

1st May 2025. Latest update. No road closures planned for the near to mid term. We have been working hard to navigate the slow planning process and will hopefully be submitting an amendment this week. We’ve no idea if this will be sufficient to get started but its the only path we have right now. We are still very keen to get started with repairing this old building. This part of the paperwork has taken 6 months on its own with another 8 weeks to pass before we even have a response. In a perfect world, work will start before the winter but I’m not holding my breath.

8th Jan 2025. Time ticks away with little happening at Paradise. We are submitting a new listed building consent application as the original one has proved inadequate to renovate the building. We are limited in any action we can take at present, so for now we have to wait. We are not expecting anything to happen before early summer at best.

11th Nov 2024. The observant among you may have noticed that the plan of starting work on the 18th of Sept, never materialised. We are working through the many challenges of the planning system and at present, do not have permission to start. Updates will follow.

19th June 2024 update. The first big set back has appeared. Unfortunately due to the fact that we haven’t had responses from Heritage and planning yet. My builder is unwilling to start the work planned in for the next two weeks. This is frustrating but we need to ensure that we have agreement before proceeding.

Update 19th May 2024 Updated on the 19th May 2024, We have received a prompt from the council to make the north wall safe and prevent its condition becoming worse. This was always known as its been like it for years, but receiving the prompt has brought forward our plans on the north wall. We are currently arranging for builders and scaffolding to arrive on the 21st of June 2024 for two weeks. This will narrow the road in front of the building. It will not prevent foot travel and so is not being deemed by the highways as a road closure. I do anticipate that it will prevent a vehicle from passing. There are still departments that have yet to give me a response to my proposal. Once we have feed back from Heritage, Planning and so on, the plan will become more solid. Any changes will be updated here. This consultation may result in dates moving a bit but the work has to be done one way or another, so it will be getting done sooner rather than later.

Update 16th April 2024 The building is now dry, our attention is now turning to floors, walls and maybe Trusses.

Initial Statement. We are not expecting to start any major work in the near months ahead, however there will be some tidying up and waste removal as well as some internal remedial works.

The current plan (subject to change) is to get the roof repaired and the building dry. Then we will turn our attentions to some interior structural repairs and renovations.

The current thinking is to start with the bin store floor. It will involve moving aggregate and materials around and will give me a good idea of the logistical problems that I will encounter when we take on the larger part of the ground floor.

I have got my eye on the north wall and a considerable repair to it. once I know what I can and can not do with it.