Demolition and associated works to adjoining structures to south and west elevations of Pannier Market including removal of internal fixtures.  Formation of arched openings and new emergency escape doors to south and west elevations.

The Committee considered a listed building consent application for the demolition and associated works to adjoining structures to south and west elevations of the Pannier Market including removal of internal fixtures.  Formation of arched openings and new emergency escape doors to south and west elevation.

Prior to the meeting, Members of the Planning Committee undertook a site visit and written representations were available on the Council’s website.  At the meeting Bethan Huntley addressed the Committee against the application. Dr Rodney Horderaddressed the Committee on behalf of the Torquay Neighbourhood Forum in support of the application.  Phil Jones addressed the Committee in support of the application.

In accordance with Standing Order B4.1 Councillor Long addressed the Committee in support of the principle of the application but against the number of homes to be provided on the site as he felt there should be higher numbers of homes.

At the meeting the Planning Officer advised, that since the report had been published a consultation response had been received from the Victorian Society dated 11 September 2025 as follows:

“Thank you for consulting us on the above application and the resubmission of additional details. 

Whilst the applicant has now more clearly demonstrated the public benefit to this scheme, The Society agrees that there is a need to regenerate the Pannier Market, and to do so would prove a positive benefit - the current schedule of planning documents demonstrates an ambitious plan that is not yet fully realised. 

Namely, there are logistics to this design that have not been appropriately considered. Especially when the proposed will result in the entire loss of the original C19 fabric from the south and west elevations, these details ought to be well-established in the proposal before the level of harm and risk can be proportionally considered. These losses will most likely cause a moderate to high level of less than substantial harm to the significance of the building,

In the first instance, we recommend that the applicant undertake some investigative work to verify the viability of the existing historic fabric, as well as a detailed outline of these features and how they will be retained and conserved in the scheme. For example, could some of the architectural details on these elevations be re-incorporated into the proposed?

If your authority should be minded that demolition is deemed essential, we recommend that all features be subject to a building recording, to ensure that what is lost is amply recorded.”

Resolved (unanimously):

Approval subject to:

1.             planning condition 5 to be revised to provide a stone cleaning strategy for the Pannier Market;

2.             the planning conditions outlined in the submitted report, with the final drafting of planning conditions delegated to the Divisional Director of Planning, Housing and Climate Emergency;

3.             receiving a consultation response from Natural England to confirm no objection to the Council’s Appropriate Assessment; and

4.             The resolution of any new material considerations that may come to light following Planning Committee to be delegated to the Divisional Director of Planning, Housing and Climate Emergency, including the addition of any necessary further planning conditions or obligations.