“It is very disappointing that some members of TDC Plans committee choose to ignore the professional advice of their own planning officers and refuse to support the opportunity to promote jobs, massive inward investment and the desperately needed regeneration of Westward Ho! that accompanied this application. That decision could well sabotage 5 years hard work by WHoRP to improve the village green and the promenade. People also find it very undemocratic that the TDC constitution permits a Chair to vote twice (both times against professional advice). Usually a chair would abstain when the first vote is taken and then if necessary use his casting vote to decide an application. Thursday April 2nd was a black day in the continued struggle to regenerate Westward Ho! that will remain as the NDJ headline said, "The Worst Place To Visit In Devon"!”

“I used to visit Westward Ho as often as I could but the lack of decent hotels and restaurants in the area has really put me off.
TDC need to wake up, smell and coffee and support an amazing opportunity that has come up. In the Uk we are struggling with unemployment yet when someone comes along to try and do some good they are knocked back - helllooooo!!! This is like stepping back in time - what next back to horses and carriages?!!! Not only is a tip chef backing this but people could actually learn a skill. Those who are objecting clearly have issues with jealousy and insecurity - come on TDC do the right thing and allow the community to move forward and not backwards!”

“What a missed opportunity. And all the blame can be laid at one persons door. Surely a referendum of the people of Westward Ho! is needed so that a decision as vital to the economic regeneration of such a run down town can at least not just come down to the vote of a chairperson.
Shame on you! Seriously - you had the future of w hole town in your hands and you blew it. Sadly indicative of our local governing bodies...”

“I think that its a great idea for the restaurant. I dont see what all the fuss is about. Lets face it North Devon needs more places like this to bring more money into the areas and modernise the area. I moved to Ilfracombe from London four years ago and at first i really thought that the town was boring and had nothing to do after the tourists had left. But now theres so much to choose from i never have to use my car to get anywhere for a drink or meal. I think that hes a great chef and i fully support his idea.”

“I agree with the decision made by councillors to refuse permission but can understand the concerns many have expressed about jobs. What is being overlooked is that if permission is given to one developer to build outside the development boundary on AONB land it will open the door to others to be able to do so and then when will it stop? If you look at the plans you would see that the Duckhaven hotel is not even in Westward Ho! but in Abbotsham and you would need your own transport to get to it. The developer already has permission to develop on the putting green siteso why didn't he apply for permission to build a hotel their as it would be perfect as it is in the village and with fantastic views. As it is, it appears to me that nothing is being done to this site and I wonder whether he has run out of money and this is why, as reported in your article, he is threatening TDC with possible fines and is holding up the regen of the promenade area? Those of us who live in Ho! want to see the village improved and for it to come alive and support its businesses and community but there has been no cohesive thought put into any sort of a plan and we are now at the mercy of a council who look to be working for developers rather than for the people they are paid by to work for and represent. Councillors in particular should be consulting with constitiuents to ascertain their opinions rather than listening to those who talk the loudest or are seen as being the most 'important'. I am fed up with this media frenzy being generated by the developer for his own ends and am concerned that the reporting has been so one-sided. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens with appeal. In the meantime, I would suggest that your readers come over to Westward Ho! and take a look at the foreshore overdevelopment, check out the developers putting green site and see if they agree with me that it would be a good site for the hotel. That's the 'bad'. The 'good' is that we have a fantastic beach, cricket pitch, south west coastal path and Burrows with more than one really good eating place already here that could do with your support. Come on over to my place!”

“I do agree we need the village to improve, but if you actually read the plans for the hotel IT ISNT IN THE VILLAGE, its up on the hill well away from the centre so wouldn't change the appearance of the Ho. The old buccaneer site is being redeveloped into a resturant and shops. we need to be careful what we build and how we improve for the future. Look at those awful flats on the front, not good planning there i feel, so steps must be taken to monitor how things change NOT just for tourism but for local people”

“I and many people have been unemployed from the manufacturing industry due to redeployment of factories for cheaper labour, I feel that we will have to retrain in different employment as westward ho and the surrounding area are tourist areas this area and others are going to have to move thier way of thinking to go with the way things are going otherwise there will be no employment in this area.
This will mean that people will have to move away from here for emloyment and that will mean that there will be another knock on affect on trade and also housing.
We have an high unemployment rate I have passed my exams for payroll but cannot find a job so I went for a job interview for a packing assistant the other day more than 50people had applied for this job I did not get it even though I have been in the manufacturing industry for 10yrs this is why I retrained in the first place we need jobs and we need to be retrained so that we have more skills to do different things like the hosptitality trade because we could make a go of westward ho.”

“I remember Westward Ho! from when I was a little kid 20 years ago. Unfortunately, it still looks the same. No-one has painted the place since the '80s, bar some hideous flats for posh out-of-towners.

This investment would have been the best thing to happen to Westward Ho - actually, the best thing to happen in the North of Devon for ages - but those idiotic, backward thinking, doughnut-heads in the council have proven that they don't understand investment.”

“Westward Ho! needs new investment and this is sadly an opportunity missed. Well done to TDC on their decision not to try and improve Braddick Ho”

“Once again we see the usual insular shortsightedness from TDC. The hotel would have been a much needed injection of prestage development into the area to encourage further investment in the village.How strange that the horrendous blue flats, the ugly rotting Fairway Bouy and Elizabethan, the seafront parade, amusement arcades and other decrepit eyesores such as the disgusting Atlantic Flatlets are allowed to blight the village but a decent hotel with a committed owner and place to eat and learn about good food is rejected without a fair hearing.It's as if Westward Ho! has to be Braddicks or nothing, Ever thought of maybe the people who could have been employed in building and running it? Will they be happy when there is no reason for anyone to come except those attracted by the caravans, The Waterfront and the penny arcades? What a waste!”