The plans to build a new visitor centre at Northam Burrows are set to be scrapped – with the existing centre to be refurbished instead.
The new £1.8m facility was due to be the focal point of the Country Park and initial work had begun back at the start of the 2020 before being suspended when the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Torridge District Council though has now said that the initial plans could not be achieved in the timescale needed for the funding it would have received, and instead, has lodged new plans for a more modest scheme.
Two planning application have been submitted by the council for the site – one to enable the refurbishment of the existing building and a second application to provide additional facilities via a new, single storey café and toilet block with outside seating.
Details submitted with the applications says that due to the funding requirements of the project mean that the applicant has a limited window of opportunity within which to complete the works, and if approved, would allow work to commence on site in late 2020.
The design and access statement adds: “The Building will provide a refurbished and enhanced exhibition space, with the capability to be expanded into the education room via sliding folding doors and to be locked off from the rest of the building when not in use
“The extant permission is for a two-storey building that would have made a bold landscape statement. The revised proposal is single storey and will be far less noticeable in the landscape. It is lower than the existing visitor centre and will be partially hidden from view behind the existing and proposed mounding
“This development is not just about updating and extending the Northam Burrows Centre, which currently offers very limited and dated facilities for visitors, but also encouraging increased and year-round visits as a new activity hub for nature-based tourism, for visitors to explore the unique burrows and the internationally recognised high-quality environment of the wider area.
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“The proposed refurbishment will result in improved facilities at the visitor centre and better environmental performance, as a result of the increased insulation. The Changing Places toilet will greatly improve accessibility to the centre and to the wider country park.
“The development provides an economic benefit to the local area in creating direct employment and supporting the Torridge tourist industry, provides a social benefit in that it will improve access to and enjoyment of the countryside for the local community, and contributes to the protection of the natural environment in that it will encourage local people and visitors to enjoy, understand and take action to protect the North Devon Coast AONB and the Northern Devon Biosphere Reserve.”
Torridge District Council planners will determine the fate of the application at a later date.
