A developer has lost his battle to build holiday lets and a restaurant at the site of a historic Norfolk Broads hotel that burned down 30 years ago.
Proposals to redevelop the Old Bridge Hotel site - next to Potter Heigham's ancient river crossing - were first rejected by the Broads Authority in 2021 due to flooding concerns.
Applicant Nick Mackmin had sought permission for eight one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats for holiday use, along with a restaurant and covered car park.
After his proposal was turned down, he appealed to the Planning Inspectorate - the government department that presides over planning disputes - arguing that permission had already been granted to rebuild the fire-stricken hotel in 1993.
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He argued that work had already begun through the demolition of the remains of the hotel, which meant this initial permission was still valid and had not expired.
But both the Environment Agency (EA) and Broads Authority (BA) claimed any building at the location would be at high risk of future floods, with this danger increasing with the expected rise in sea levels due to climate change.
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The dispute led to a public inquiry being held, during which villagers, the developer and the EA and BA made their case to the planning inspector.
After listening to the opposing arguments, the official acknowledged that redeveloping the site would "increase employment and draw customers to this honeypot" and that it would offer environmental benefits from "tidying what is currently an unattractive site next to an important heritage asset."
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However, they ruled that these benefits would not outweigh the increased flood risk and they could not justify overturning the decision.
LOST LANDMARK
The Old Bridge Hotel was a popular destination on the Broads and was once owned by Norwich-based Bullard's Brewery.
It was built in the late 1800s but in September 1991 it was devastated by a fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
It was subsequently demolished.
Two years after that, permission was granted for a replacement building. But work to build it never occurred and, in recent years, it has been used as a car park.
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