Just days remain for public comments on revised plans for Portland’s Pulpit Inn.

The developers say they have scaled back the original planning application submitted last December after public comments and have made a series of other changes.

Koori Ltd says it has reduced the number of holiday apartment, from 14 to 11, and made changes to some facing materials as well as reducing the overall scale of the proposals.

The company says the long-term viability of the pub and restaurant has not been helped by Dorset Council this year threatening enforcement action to stop short-term use of the site by camper vans and camping.

Said Koori in a statement submitted with the revised planning application: “Following significant investigation into the financial implications of remodelling the scheme it has been identified that the provision of 11 units presents the optimum balance between delivering a proposal with a marginally greater visual impact and one which presents a sufficient uplift in future turnover to render the scheme commercially attractive. Any further reduction in accommodation would not only reduce the commercial case for the proposal but would verge on making the project unviable.”

The company say the main amendments to the application proposal compared to the initial scheme include lowering of the overall ridge height to correspond with that of the existing building;  the removal of three holiday units from the roof space allowing a reconfiguration of the rear access and the removal of the dormer windows; a re-visiting of the facing materials with a far greater use of Portland Stone now proposed and the reconfiguration of the public ground floor area to allow the western end of the open-plan bar and restaurant to be partitioned off to provide a private meeting space.

The original application had attracted dozens of objections with some claiming it would create “an eyesore” which would impact on the Heritage Coast. Some have remained unconvinced about the changes and maintain their objections.

Some said the originally proposed new building would be a storey higher than the existing inn, and would have a larger footprint. Objectors had concerns about the initial choice of materials and say the white render proposed for some walls would stand out in the low-lying landscape.

Among the objections were Historic England, Weymouth Civic Society and Portland Historian Stuart Morris who said the proposed design would be more suited to an urban location.

Portland Town Council, which raised no objections to the original proposal, said it had been told the cost of restoring, rather than replacing, the existing building, was £1.4million.

Weymouth Civic Society is among those who still have concerns about the revised plans telling Dorset Council: “We acknowledge the improvement made by the removal of the three proposed flats on the second floor, allowing for the lowering of the roof. This has made the front elevation appear less bulky. With the proposed building much further forward than the existing, the space available for parking would be considerably reduced, while also needing to provide for the additional eleven flats. We think that this would be inadequate, in which case the rear space would need to be made available for permanent parking rather than only as an overflow area as indicated.”

The deadline for public comments on the revised plans is September 23 – see Dorset Council’s website for full details https://planning.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=392451