PLANS to convert part of controversial Liberal Democrat Somerset Cllr Marcus Kravis’s home into a village shop have been submitted to the council on which he sits.

The application for the Blue Anchor Hotel, formerly known as Anchors Drop, in Blue Anchor, has been made in the name of his partner Cara Strom, who works for the authority as a refugee housing officer.

Ms Strom now wants to use the hotel’s redundant restaurant carvery room as a shop to serve guests staying in the self-catering accommodation which replaced the building’s hotel use and tourists in nearby caravan parks.

Customers of the 1,528 sq ft shop will be able to park for free in the hotel’s car park.

The shop will use an existing doorway opening on to Cleeve Hill, which is subject to a 30 mile per hour speed limit.

Planning agent Adam Elston, of Architectural Studio SW Ltd, said: “The property is famously known for being threatened with falling into the sea after suffering from coastal erosion that has resulted in the loss of land.

“Prior to the current management taking over in 2016, the building and land had suffered with decades of under investment and decline, with roofs that were leaking, windows that were rotting, and roofs on outhouses that were missing.

“The interior was dated, environmental health had closed the kitchen.

“The current management reversed that decline and invested heavily in the premises and business despite the risk of the building falling into the sea, even protecting the previous sea defences at their own costs.

“The owner had to rapidly invest differently and altered the business offering by providing self-catering accommodation along with more accommodation in the main building.

“The changing business climate meant the function room was no longer needed and was subsequently turned into owner accommodation.

“The carvery room/overflow seating area that is subject to this application is also no longer used or required.”

Cllr Kravis represents the Dunster division on Somerset Council, which is controlled by his Lib Dem party colleagues.

He has previously been mired in controversy when the former Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) agreed a £3.8 million sea defence scheme to protect cliffs below his home.

Cllr Kravis was serving as a councillor on SWT at the time and the authority was also run by his Lib Dem colleagues.

SWT was merged with the county’s three other districts in 2023 to form the unitary authority for the whole of Somerset.

Cllr Kravis also made headlines when he won a number of planning application arguments against his own council, including receiving retrospective permission for six static caravans in the hotel grounds, which was agreed on the casting vote of his fellow Lib Dem planning committee chairman Cllr Simon Coles.

Later, he threatened legal action after being refused solar panels on the roofs of the caravan and on the hotel, as well as some ground-mounted arrays.

The councillors then approved amended plans for solar panels only on the caravans and the threat was dropped.