South Devon Magistrates Court Union Street Torquay TQ1 4BP Data via plota.co.uk

P/2026/0412 - Cert. of Lawfulness - Existing Approved
Admin / procedural

Proposal

Certificate of lawfulness for existing operations undertaken to convert the building to form 14 residential apartments (as approved under ). Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
3 Jul 2026
✓
Validated
23 Jul 2026
✓
Consultation
30 Jul 2026
✓
Approved
25 Aug 2026

Approved on 25 Aug 2026 · Delegated · Last checked 26 Aug 2026

Documents

View the documents on the council's website ↗

Associated applications 2

  • Part of

    FullApprovedcouncil archive
    • LawfulnessCertificate of lawfulness for existing operations undertaken to convert the building to form…This applicationP/2026/0412

Site constraints 5

Upton conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Council document ↗
10 listed buildings within 150 m
Nearest: Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, Grade II*, 18 m away · 1 Grade II*, 9 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 10 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 4; Heritage at risk 70 m away: Church of St Mary Magdalene, Upper Union Street, Torquay; Inside the Torquay built-up area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. 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.

Sales history 1

Last sold for £450,000 in July 2021. Other property, freehold.

30 July 2021£450,000Recorded as a transfer outside a standard sale

Sale prices from HM Land Registry's price paid record, matched to this application by its address.

Building

Floor area1,070 m² (11,517 sq ft)
Energy ratingE (asset rating 105)
UseD1 Non-residential Institutions - Crown and County Courts
HeatingHeating and Natural Ventilation

From the energy performance certificate lodged in May 2016, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council
Torbay
Application type
Cert. of Lawfulness - Existing
Postcode
TQ1 4BP
Received
3 Jul 2026
Validated
23 Jul 2026
Ward
Tormohun
Case officer
Show
Decision
Approval
Decision date
25 Aug 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
Principle Design

Public comments

No public comments yet.

41 neighbours consulted · Last counted 26 Aug 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15057627
Planning Portal ref
PP-15057627
Comments by
20 Aug 2026
Site or press notice
30 Jul 2026
Env. assessment
No

Historical activity at this location

27 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2024 Approved
G003 - 1x Bay Tree 2x Buddleia - Dismantle, fell & remove to ground level. G004 - 1x Holl…
AT/2024/0268
2021 Withdrawn
Change of use from former Magistrates Court to 10 residential apartments & associated fac…
P/2021/0266
Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2025 Refused
Pavement O/S Subway 8 Tor Hill House Torquay TQ2 5QW
2 x digital 75" illuminated LCD display screens, one each side of Street Hub unit. (See a…
P/2025/0616
2025 Refused
Pavement O/S Subway 8 Tor Hill House Torquay TQ2 5QW
The installation of 1x BT Street Hub and removal of associated BT payphones. (See accompa…
P/2025/0615
2025 Approved
1 Tor Hill House Union Street Torquay TQ2 5QW
Refurbishment of vacant shop to include installation of 3 x outdoor air conditioning unit…
P/2025/0325
2025 Approved
2 Tor Hill Road Torquay TQ2 5RA
Internal and external alterations including alterations to layout, alterations to windows…
P/2025/0102
2025 Approved
2 Tor Hill Road Torquay TQ2 5RA
Alterations to include change of use of ground floor from use Class E to mixed use class…
P/2025/0101
2024 Approved
St Mary Magdalene Church Union Street Torquay TQ1 4BX
Fell dead cedar tree
AT/2024/0334
2024 Approved
Town Hall Castle Circus Torquay TQ1 3DR
Construction of an accessible toilet and installation of studwork partition on the ground…
P/2024/0324
2023 Approved
Municipal Chambers Union Street Torquay TQ1 3DE
Addition of solar panels to roof.
P/2023/1000
2023 Approved
138 Union Street Torquay TQ2 5QB
Conversion of 1st and 2nd floors to two flats.
P/2023/1084
2024 Approved
Town Hall Castle Circus Torquay TQ1 3DR
Construction of an accessible toilet on the ground floor in storeroom GF206.
P/2024/0025
2023 Approved
Town Hall Castle Circus Torquay TQ1 3DR
Removal of glazed screens, doors and studwork wall interventions on suspended ceiling on…
P/2023/0988
2023 Approved
Town Hall Castle Circus Torquay TQ1 3DR
External repairs to stonework.
P/2023/0960
2023 Withdrawn
2 Tor Hill Road Torquay TQ2 5RA
Reduction in area of existing ground floor retail unit and division of exiting first and…
P/2023/0470
2023 Withdrawn
2 Tor Hill Road Torquay TQ2 5RA
Reduction in area of existing ground floor retail unit and division of exiting first and…
P/2023/0473
2023
Site Of Former Cottage (15 Madeira Place) Madeira Place Torquay TQ2 5RD
Erection of two storey, three-bed dwelling in place of parking bays.
P/2023/0749
2023 Approved
7 Morgan Avenue Torquay TQ2 5RP
Formation of new garage.
P/2023/0431
2023 Approved
Bus Shelter Adj Subway Tor Hill House Union Street Torquay TQ2 5QW
Replacement of existing Double-sided 6-sheet Bus Shelter advertising end panel displays w…
P/2023/0352
2023 Refused
Six Car Spaces 15 Madeira Place Torquay TQ2 5RD
Construction of 3 bedroom family dwelling.
P/2023/0161
2022 Refused
Three Car Spaces 15 Madeira Place Torquay TQ2 5RD
Erection of two new semi-detached apartment buildings in 3 storeys with ground floor park…
P/2022/0998
2022 Approved
Municipal Chambers Union Street Torquay TQ1 3DE
Conversion of upper floors and former public conveniences to form an Office (Use Class E)…
P/2022/0089
2017 Approved
Printing Section Town Hall Castle Circus Torquay TQ1 3DR
Formation of fork lift truck entrance including removal of timber double doors and render…
P/2017/0098
2016 Approved
12 Tor Hill Road Torquay TQ2 5RB
Change of use of ground floor from office (B1) to shop (A1) including shop front alterati…
P/2016/1355
2016 Approved
16 Tor Hill Road Torquay TQ2 5RD
Change of use of ground floor from office (B1) to shop (A1) and alterations to shop front
P/2016/1357
2016 Approved
Electric House Castle Circus Tormohun Torquay Torbay TQ1 3DR
Internal works to remove studwork partitions and portions of suspended ceiling first and…
P/2016/1231
2016 Approved
St Mary Magdalene Church Union Street Tormohun Torquay Torbay TQ1 4BX
Works to T34 Silver Maple as described in the attached report
AT/2016/0226
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
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings

Sale prices: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.