THE Spirit of Teignmouth Visitor Centre, on the Den, is still afloat after Simon Chalk's Woodvale Events Ltd, of Ashburton, was granted an extension until the end of February. A temporary building, for the construction of the yacht that adventurer Mr Chalk is to sail around the world against prevailing winds, should have been off the site at the end of June. At Monday's Teignbridge Council Development Control Committee, members voted 14-4 to allow retention of the building for eight months from the end of June with its removal by February 28 and the site restored. A delighted Mr Chalk said after the decision that the yacht would not be finished then, but it would be far enough ahead to launch at Teignmouth and take it around the coast to Torquay. 'I always intended to move it. The plans are for a visitor centre in Torquay, but that has to be agreed with the owner,' he said, adding that a planning application for the centre would be submitted to Torbay Council next month. And he revealed he was talking to major sponsors for the project. He maintained he would still set off on the perilous voyage from Teignmouth though the boat would probably not be called the Spirit of Teignmouth, but would carry the town's name around the world. At the meeting, members heard that Teignmouth Town Council Finance and General Purposes Committee had voted 5-4 in favour of the visitor centre remaining, with three councillors abstaining, while there had been 322 letters and a petition signed by 1,376 in support. Objector Bill Brown said along with many other residents he believed and feared that by allowing this industrial type building to be built, it had created a precedent that would allow challenge in law for further building on the Den. Mr Brown made it clear that Simon Chalk's endeavours were not the issue and never had been. 'I personally admire the man's courage in undertaking such a venture. It is the location of this monstrous eyesore that is the issue,' he said. Supporting the application the president of Teignmouth Chamber of Commerce, June Green, said before June 26 visitor numbers were 25,000. Since then 30,000 visitors had passed through the doors. As well as from Devon and Cornwall, others had come on holiday from much further afield, including from abroad especially to see 'the start of the adventure'. 'Many more have added Teignmouth to their holiday tour because this attraction exists. 'To refuse the application would be a disaster for Teignmouth. To send the boat away by land would not only be a tragedy for the project but it would also send a message – that those with a vision for the future in Teignmouth – that they may need to think twice about investment here. 'The bad publicity, which would surely become national news, would damage the town immensely and do it great harm. 'Let us salute the boat when it takes to the water. Let us use another kind of "spirit" to toast him when his adventure starts from here and save to the last the more sparking "spirit" when he eventually returns in triumph', said Mrs Green. Deputy leader, Cllr Ray Frost, said when they first looked at it they knew it was a gamble. 'Because it has overrun it would be very churlish and mean-minded if we said you have to pick up sticks and go now. This will be a huge amount of publicity for Teignmouth if it works. It will be a huge amount of bad publicity for Teignmouth if it does not work,' he said. Cllr Roy Phillips said there was no fundamental change in the issue and he asked the committee to refuse the application and keep to the September deadline. 'Then and only then can the upgrading of this area be carried out and the work begin,' he said. Cllr Keith Smith said the completion of the boat was 'a million miles away'. 'People in Teignmouth are very angry. I will grudgingly support this application, but we cannot continue to have this huge shed on one of the most beautiful parts of the south Devon coast,' said Cllr Smith.
