Fire-gutted hotel in Torquay could be turned into flats

A Torquay hotel which was gutted by an arson attack in 2024 could finally be turned into a new development of ‘homes for later life’.

Churchill Living has filed a formal application to turn the Coppice Hotel in Barrington Road into 41 flats with communal facilities.

Its application to Torbay Council says it will be a ‘comprehensive redevelopment’ of the derelict hotel which closed around the time of the Covid pandemic in 2020 and fell into disrepair.

It became a magnet for anti-social behaviour and attracted intruders until the blaze in February 2024. Crews from across South Devon battled the flames throughout the night, and the building was 70 per cent destroyed.

The fire service said the blaze had been started deliberately and a neighbour said it was only a matter of time before such an incident occurred, saying the building was suffering regular break-ins.

The Coppice was once a 97-bedroom Victorian mansion that was built in the 1880s. It was run as a hotel by a series of different families until its closure.

In its application, Churchill Living says: “The vision for the site is to deliver a development that meets our customers’ needs and the local need for retirement apartments whilst also contributing to the character of the local area.

“Our aim is to create a high quality development that embraces sustainable design and enhances the setting of the area.”

The company already operates Sachs Lodge in Torquay on the site of the former Gleagles Hotel, which was writer John Cleese’s inspiration for Fawlty Towers. Its name is a nod to the actor Andrew Sachs, who played the character of Manuel in the sitcom.

The company also has homes in Tavistock, Penzance, Newquay, Taunton and Totnes.

People commenting on the plan on the council’s website have raised concerns over the amount of parking spaces planned for the new development.

They say there is already congestion in Barrington Road, and fear the new development will make the issue worse.