Torquay's famous wheel is saved

Torquay’s iconic wheel will be returning once again this summer, after councillors unanimously voted in support of its return and against recommendations put forward by planning officers.

Although the seafront wheel has been a feature of Torquay every summer for over a decade, officers said that the cumulative damage to heritage assets over those years had “tipped the balance”.

Torbay Council’s planning officers therefore advised members of the Planning Committee to reject the wheel operator's application on heritage grounds.

Rob Palmer, Torbay Council's principal historic environment officer, described the wheel as “alien and incongruous" in the report and deemed that it would not "enhance" the area.

He said: “The proposals in their current form would neither preserve nor enhance the character or appearance of the identified conservation area.

"In this case, officers have concluded that the harm to local heritage outweighs the benefits presented.”

The 45-metre wheel is set to be situated on council land, within the Torquay Harbour conservation area and near the Grade II listed Torquay Pavilion.

Heritage England also recommended that the wheel should not be permitted this year, citing harm to the gardens, Pavilions and War Memorial. Their report said: “The wheel is an overtly alien and dominant presence within the gardens that causes harm to the significance of the various heritage assets, through change to character, setting, views and experience.”

While officers described how the wheel could have an impact on visitors’ heritage experience, they noted that the physical harm to the gardens was negligible.

After over an hour of attempting to quantify and compare the costs and benefits of the proposal, councillors came down strongly in support of the wheel, arguing that the economic benefits outweighed the heritage harm.

Members were persuaded by the argument that the wheel had become iconic for the Bay and was vital to the area’s £500 million-a-year tourism industry.

Cllr Jackie Thomas (Cons, Kings Ash), Cabinet Member for Culture, Events and Tourism, said that she believed the recommendation made by the officers was “wrong on this occasion”.

She continued: “The English Riviera Wheel has been an iconic and very popular international visitor attraction for a number of years. The photographs of this attraction are shared across social media channels worldwide.

“If we are to keep our place as one of the UK's premier resorts we have to ensure that we continue to deliver what our four million visitors have come to expect.”

Cllr Nick Pentney (Lib Dem, Tormohun) insisted: “In all the years I have been a councillor I have never had a single constituent come to me and say their enjoyment of the rich heritage of the area had been harmed by the wheel.”

Cllr Mandy Darling (Lib Dem, Tormohun) questioned whether the wheel actually did significantly change the garden’s character, given it was already “sandwiched between a busy main road and a working marina”.

Cllr Chris Lewis said: “Sometimes planning is about common sense, and common sense should prevail with this application.”

Part of the planning application included £30,000 for conservation purposes, namely towards a resurfacing scheme for the garden's pathways.

Council Leader David Thomas argued that the wheel was a “win-win” for Torbay.

“It’s a win for our tourism industry and the thousands of people who will use the wheel and post thousands of photographs on social media, and it is also a win for our heritage, with another £30,000 injection to enhance a heritage asset.”

Cllr Thomas also said that he was “surprised” by the fact the recommendation had changed from previous years, as he saw the balance between heritage harm and economic gain as being “no different than it has been every year for the last 12 years.”

Given the officers’ line of reasoning for the recommendation to reject the proposal, the cumulative harm to local heritage will continue to grow, meaning this issue may return next year. But at least for this summer, Torquay’s wheel will continue to turn.