Former Palace Hotel Land Adjacent To Babbacombe Road And Ansteys Cove Road Babbacombe Data via plota.co.uk

AT/2026/0106 - Works To Tree Within TPO Approved

Proposal

T028 - Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra) Sectionally dismantle and fell the tree, as identified and marked with orange paint, employing appropriate lowering and rigging techniques to safely and progressively control the descent of each section in accordance with industry best practice. Replant with 8-10 Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra) T1847 - Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra) Sectionally dismantle and fell the tree, as identified and marked with paint, employing appropriate controlled dismantling techniques. Replant with 8-10 Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra) T1846 - Ash (Fraxinus spp.) Sectionally dismantle and fell the tree, as marked with paint, using appropriate controlled cutting and dismantling techniques. T1846- Vitality poor - tree in decline with poor physiological condition. Tree is in an area which lacks direct and indirect natural sunlight therefore replanting is not considered appropriate. T1848 - Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) Sectionally dismantle and fell the tree, employing appropriate lowering techniques in accordance with current arboricultural standards. T1948 - Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) Sectionally dismantle and fell the tree to ground level using appropriate controlled dismantling methods. All cut material shall be processed into manageable lengths and stacked neatly within the woodland area in designated windrows or habitat piles, in accordance with good arboricultural and ecological practice. The site shall be left in a safe, clean, and tidy condition upon completion. T1948- Vitality poor - multi stemmed tree with significant dieback in the upper canopy which has resulted in branch failure throughout. Severe decline likely to continue due to poor physiological condition. Replant with 8-10 Silver birch (Betula pendula) Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
14 Apr 2026
✓
Validated
28 Apr 2026
✓
Approved
9 Jun 2026

Approved on 9 Jun 2026 · Delegated · Last checked 5 Jul 2026

Site constraints 8

Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 2
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Radon affected area, class 5
An estimated 10 to 30% of homes reach the radon action level. Indicative for the 1 km square, which takes the highest class found in it; a radon test gives the answer for a building.
From the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency indicative atlas. Under building regulations, as the BRE guide BR 211 (2023) sets out, new buildings and extensions need basic radon protection from class 3 in England and Wales and from class 2 in Scotland, and full protection from class 5. The class at the site itself, from the detailed BGS map, decides which.
UKHSA radon ↗
SSSI about 153 m away: Hope's Nose to Wall's Hill SSSI
Natural England may need consulting, depending on what is proposed.
Sites of special scientific interest are the best wildlife and geological sites in the country. Development likely to harm one is rarely permitted.
Scheduled monument about 153 m away: Prehistoric field system at Walls Hill
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Nationally important archaeology protected by the Secretary of State. Work that affects the monument or its setting is rarely permitted.
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Special area of conservation about 339 m away: Lyme Bay and Torbay; Tree preservation order about 12 m away: Palace Hotel, Babbacombe Road, Torquay; Inside the Torquay built-up area; Priority habitat about 17 m away: Deciduous woodland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Torbay
Application type
Works To Tree Within TPO
Postcode
TQ1 3TB
Received
14 Apr 2026
Validated
28 Apr 2026
Ward
Wellswood
Case officer
Show
Decision
Approval
Decision date
9 Jun 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
Devon Tree Services

How this decision compares

Decided in 42 days from validation, about the council's usual 43 days. Approved, as 86% of tree and landscaping works here are.

99%decided within 8 weeks
86%approved
215decided in the last year

Plota live figures for tree and landscaping works decided by Torbay in the last twelve months, from validation. Torbay decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14857383
Planning Portal ref
PP-14857383
Comments by
26 May 2026
Env. assessment
No
Torbay
Planning Authority Score
1.9/10
Poor
#276 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Torbay is one of the slowest councils in England for householder decisions, ranking #276 out of 296. 54% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (90%) than the national average (90%).

Among the slowest councils in England
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Torbay decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
87%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #183 of 296
90%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #197 of 296
37%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #276 of 296
54%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #247 of 296
81%
Minor dwellings approved
53 decided (1-9 homes)
100%
Major dwellings approved
9 decided (10+ homes)
91%
Change of use approved
44 decided
529
Total decisions
68 refused in the year to March 2026