NEW plans to revamp a seafront restaurant would have a 'detrimental impact', warn Christchurch Town Council.

The town council has raised an objection over the newest planning application for changes at the Noisy Lobster at Avon Beach.

The owners seek to ‘improve the access to and appearance of' the popular restaurant with a number of building alterations.

These include an extension to and partial demolition of the ground floor, expanding the existing first floor terrace and the enlargement of front dormers to give standing head height internally.

Changes to the existing ground floor entrance are also proposed to advance customer accessibility, as well as internal re-configurations to ‘improve accessibility and flow throughout’.

Peter Hayward, of the Noisy Lobster, has detailed the motivation behind the proposal in a heritage statement.

He said: “The proposals improve the accessibility for all and are designed to unify the building with consistent application of existing materiality, thus improving the overall appearance and impact on the site.

“The proposal reflects a thoughtful and considered scheme, that has taken into account the need for improved accessibility throughout whilst unifying the appearance.”

BCP Council is yet to make a decision on the planning application, but Christchurch Town Council's planning committee discussed the scheme at its October meeting. 

According to the minutes of the meeting, Cllr Davies proposed that the town council should not raise any objection to the Noisy Lobster's plans.

Cllr Stuart pointed out that the proposal did not add excessive mass or bulk to the property and emphasised the positive contributions the business made to Avon Beach.

But Cllr Lunn raised concerns about the premises impinging on the public right of way and proposed an objection based on overdevelopment and its detrimental effect on local amenities.

This proposal was seconded by the meeting chair, Cllr Jones.

When put to a vote, the result was tied with two votes in favour and two against.

Cllr Jones cast the deciding vote, settling that Christchurch Town Council would object to the planning application due to its "detrimental impact on neighbouring amenities and the public highway".