RESIDENTS and two parish councils are angry after Cornwall Council allowed a clifftop restaurant to become a house, fearing it will impact the local economy, set a planning precedent and could lead to the property becoming an Airbnb.

Described as a “hidden gem” when it operated as The View, the building’s owners were told last week that they do not need prior approval to turn the once popular restaurant on the Rame Peninsula into a home as it constitutes permitted development.

The decision came after local opposition, with both St John and Maker with Rame parish councils arguing that it goes against planning policy and will set a precedent in the area.

Residents are also concerned at the loss of the restaurant overlooking Whitsand Bay at Treninnow Cliff, near Millbrook.

Visit Cornwall previously listed The View as a “hidden gem perched on the breathtaking cliffs of Whitsand Bay” offering “panoramic ocean vistas, stretching across the forgotten corner of Cornwall to the rugged beauty of Rame Head”.

A Cornwall Council planning officer has written to the area’s Labour councillor Kate Ewert admitting the decision is “likely not what you wanted to hear” and “I appreciate the upset that this application has caused locally”.

“However, because the application is for prior approval we can only consider whether the proposal meets the regulations or not. We do not have the opportunity for policy or subjective assessment as we do with planning applications.

“I note that both St John and Maker with Rame Parish Councils objected to the proposal. Applications for prior approval are not subject to the usual consultation and, as a result, the option to call to committee is not available.”

Millbrook resident Tonny Steenhagen said: “The current owners do not have to go for formal planning and have been given permission to turn The View, now Vista, into a private dwelling, despite planning policy explicitly restricting open market housing in the countryside.

“The objections, including from two local parish councils, have counted for absolutely nothing too.

“Under class MA of the General Permitted Development Order, the usual scrutiny of local planning policies do not have to be undertaken – or so it appears. Clearly this is utter madness!”

He added: “It is very sad to see The View disappearing, so somebody from outside can now live there privately, part-time or full time, or turn it into an Airbnb, or sell it at a tidy profit.

“This is a very unwelcome local ‘development’ at the detriment of Whitsand Bay and social cohesion, and it makes an utter mockery of local planning.”

Mr Steenhagen said that enquiries are currently being made into the possibility of a judicial review of the council’s decision.

Among 26 objections on Cornwall Council’s planning portal, Chris Girdlestone said: “Please do not change the use of this building as it will be a huge loss to the community, visitors, local residents, employment seekers and all those people in the future that may miss out on this unique and spectacular location if it were to change.”

St John Parish Council (PC) objected to change of use to residential, stating that a previous application for an additional storey on the building was granted under the provision that the occupation of the approved accommodation was limited to the manager or owner of The View restaurant.

The parish council said that Cornwall Council noted at the time that “the approval of open market housing in the countryside is contrary to policy and national guidance”.

St John PC also said that “allowing businesses to be bought, failed and converted to residential will set an unwelcome precedent for the area. The application has not demonstrated that the business is unviable”.

Neighbouring parish council, Maker with Rame, also objected, stating: “The View was a successful business prior to the new owners taking over, who have kept the business closed for extended periods and who offer a menu, when the premises is open, which may not be best suited to the area.

“If the business is being run to show a loss, which may be the case here, to justify changing the business to residential, it will fly in the face of genuine applications where there is a proper argument to change a business to residential.

“If this application is approved, it will make a mockery of the planning process as a whole and, in particular, of the previous applications which allowed residential accommodation to be granted where normally it would be refused based on the business need.”

The parish council said allowing the change of use was contrary to a number of planning and local policies.

However, Cornwall Council’s planning department has stressed that as it was an application for prior approval to change of use of the ground floor restaurant to a dwelling, local and national housing policies are not taken into account during the decision-making process.

Officers can only consider whether or not the proposal meets the requirements set by the government in Class MA permitted development and this application does.

Referring to concerns the decision could set a precedent, the council’s planning department said: “Any forthcoming planning applications will be assessed on their own merits. The granting of prior approval for a change of use does not set a precedent.

“As this is an application for prior approval, the usual requirements to demonstrate that the business is not viable are not applicable.”

Laurence Associates architectural practice, which submitted the proposal on behalf of the applicants, have been approached for a comment in response to the concerns raised by the parish councils and residents.