TAVISTOCK Conservative Club has been ordered to remove a smoking shelter from its Grade II listed premises in Drake Road. Metal brackets had been fixed to the facade to support a canvas awning which West Devon planners considered had 'a severely adverse effect on the character of the listed building'. An enforcement notice has been issued, requiring the permanent removal of the awning and brackets. In a recent letter to the Times, the Conservative Club Committee said the awning was put up to protect all club members, not just smokers, many of whom were elderly, from the elements. It was easily removable and would only be put up when it was raining. Members claimed they would do nothing to damage the listed building and understood that a temporary awning did not require permission.
