RESIDENTS living on the Bere Peninsula are this week being urged to make their views known on a plan to develop a community watersports centre on land at Weir Quay.

The £400,000 project, being spearheaded by the Weir Quay Community Watersports Hub Club, seeks to provide a new base for Weir Quay Sailing Club and the Tamar and Tavy Gig Club. The sailing club lost its clubhouse in 2009 when the lease expired.

The hub club wants to build premises on land next to the public hard at Weir Quay — the clubhouse would also be available for non-watersports enthusiasts, such as bird watchers, artists and photographers, who value the area for its beauty, peace and wildlife.

A planning application is due to be considered by West Devon Borough Council shortly — and consultation with residents, the local council and statutory bodies is currently taking place.

But the project has concerned members of the Friends of Weir Quay group. They believe it is inappropriate in an area of outstanding natural beauty and a world heritage site, noted for its quiet and tranquillity.

Friends member Cliff Wilkins said: 'Nobody wants to prevent sailing or rowing on the river, but there is much local feeling that the project is over-ambitious and will have a detrimental effect on this quiet, highly protected area.'

Friends publicity officer Mary Logan said: 'I think there are several major concerns. One of them is the access to it, you have to go down very narrow lanes and there's enough traffic on them as it is.

'Also the effect on the landscape — I think there is a general view that it's just too big a development.

'I also think there should be more investigations carried out from a health point of view. If there are heavy metals or arsenic being disturbed with the excavations, what will the effect be on local residents?'

The Friends are worried about the access to the proposed area, claiming visibility is limited. They are concerned that the car park would be unsightly and damage the habitats of wildlife, such as glow worms, and that screening of the development would be inadequate.

They have urged residents in the area to write to West Devon Borough Council's planning department if they have views on the project.

Robin Musgrave, speaking on behalf of the hub club, said the club had done as much as it could to make sure members of the public were kept informed about the plans, having held several consultation events since the project's inception.

He said the club was aware of the site's significance within the AONB and said it was fully committed to developing a clubhouse completely within such parameters.

He said neither the sailing club nor gig club had any intentions for major expansion as a result of the development.

He said: 'I think absolutely the most overriding point we would make is we are simply trying to revert back to what we had for 40 years — a simple clubhouse with basic facilities.

'From a practical point of view, we've not even had a proper loo down there since we lost our club house. Particularly in the winter, and with children, we do need to have facilities.'

A spokesperson for the borough confirmed that the consultation period regarding the planning application closes on September 1.

The spokesperson said it was too early to say whether the application would be delegated to officers to decide or whether the planning committee would make the decision.