WATCHET'S Downfield Hotel can be converted into seven homes after owner Peter Blatchford won an appeal against West Somerset District Council's refusal to give planning permission for the development. The authority had claimed the loss of the hotel would be contrary to the council's aims of regenerating the town, while there were concerns about highway safety and questions about efforts made to sell the building as a going concern. But Government planning inspector Barry Juniper found the council had failed to prove the hotel was vital to the area's economy, was unable to substantiate concerns about business accounts and had not provided an alternative valuation for the property. Furthermore, the Local Plan did not contain any policies which specifically required the retention of a hotel in the town. In a report on his decision, Mr Juniper said: "The council was concerned that the loss of a more traditional type of hotel would be detrimental to the prospects of regeneration of Watchet and its environs, but it is not clear what adverse effect was envisaged. "Some investment, notably for leisure craft in the harbour, has already taken place but no evidence was provided in respect of tourist attractions which might suffer without hotel accommodation in the town." He said he had visited the site and noted that tourist accommodation in the area was largely self- catering with "at least three" bed and breakfast establishments in the town. He said objections from local residents about the loss of potential wedding and dining facilities at the hotel could not be justified as such a loss would not be "fundamental to the economic health of the area", especially as the facilities could be provided elsewhere. Mr Juniper continued: "The hotel had been advertised for sale and criticism was levelled by the council at the marketing exercise undertaken by the appellants and, in particular, at the price at which the property was marketed. "However, the council did not provide any alternative valuation and I can give only limited weight to the letter it provided on behalf of unnamed prospective purchasers. "By contrast, the appellant provided evidence of a sustained marketing operation both by specialist commercial and local agents. "Similarly, although the council had reservations about the submitted accounts because they were unaudited and did not include the last year of trading, the accounts were prepared by chartered accountants and I was not provided with any substantive evidence that they were incorrect." He said no evidence had been produced to show the conversion of the hotel for residential use would adversely affect the prospects of the area's economy. As a result, he believed the proposal would not be harmful to the council's objective to secure the regeneration of Watchet. He also pointed out that parking worries could be controlled through the use of planning conditions, while Mr Blatchford himself had agreed to enter a legal agreement tying the use of the proposed one and two bedroom homes to affordable housing.