THE visitor centre housing the building work on The Spirit of Teignmouth Project, on the Den, could remain until next summer. Round-the-world seafarer Simon Chalk wants to extend the permission for 12 months, though it does not mean that the building would remain there that long. The Newton Abbot-based 34-year-old, who plans to sail the wrong way round-the-world in a 68ft multihull, has applied to Teignbridge Council, through his company Woodvale Events Ltd, for a variation of a planning permission condition to allow retention of the building for a year. That current condition expires on June 30, and it will now depend on the landowner – the district authority – giving consent. The clerk of Teignmouth Town Council, Dave Tickell, said Mr Chalk was granted temporary permission and now he was purely applying for an extension of that. 'It does not mean he will be there for a year. It is just regularising the situation,' he said. Mr Tickell said it was only right and proper that Mr Chalk should apply to extend the temporary permission. 'Unfortunately, there are those who wish to undermine the project and would like to use this as fodder for their cause. It is not the case he is going to be there another 12 months and I am sorry to disappoint them,' said Mr Tickell. Teignbridge Council's area planning officer, Nick Davies, said they had now applied to keep the building on the Den until June 30, 2007. 'They have not given a huge amount of information as to why they have fallen behind. 'The construction of the building was held up by bad weather, which did put them behind before they started,' said Mr Davies. The original permission was to put up the building, build the boat, launch it and then dismantle the building. Mr Davies said a decision would depend on whether the council was happy for the building to stay on the Den. The application will have to go to the development control committee because it is council-owned land and the decision cannot be delegated to an officer. The committee meeting in Forde House, Newton Abbot, is on Monday June 26, four days before the consent runs out. As part of the permission of the lease £50,000 had to be lodged with Teignbridge Council so that the authority could remove the building if it was left once the boat was taken away. There was also an original penalty of £2,000 a month once the expiry deadline was passed.

The district authority has written to residents in the area explaining that they have until Thursday, June 8, to send in any comments on the application to the planning services department, at Forde House, Newton Abbot. Teignbridge councillor David Cox said he was always concerned that the project would overrun. 'While I will have to make my mind up, having heard all the evidence at the development control committee, my initial reaction is that they should not be allowed to stay there beyond September. 'There are important plans in place to upgrade the novelty golf and provide the young people with a multi-use ball games area. This would all have to be put on hold if The Spirit of Teignmouth remains beyond September,' he said. Amanda Claridge, The Spirit of Teignmouth Project co-ordinator, said work on the building had been delayed and the project had fallen behind time, though the launch date was still on for September. 'Planning permission was granted last June for a year. Obviously we are not planning to move until September. We do not want to be here without planning permission. It would be embarrassing to us and to Teignbridge Council. 'Once completed the boat will be launched and moved to Torquay Harbour,' she said. Though the building had dropped behind schedule it was still planned that Mr Chalk would set sail from his home port Teignmouth for his round-the-world voyage in September 2007 as planned. Only recently Mr Chalk accused some sections of the community of stabbing him in the back due to crippling political infighting a negative press and small mindedness. It was intended to have the visitor centre free as a boost to tourism, but it was classed as a commercial enterprise and the project had to impose an entrance fee after high rents and business rates were slapped on the building. The project was also hit by raiders who broke into the building and stole thousands of pounds worth of equipment.