The latest plans for Sidmouth's new Rockfish restaurant were expected to be approved this week - but now they'll be discussed at a later stage.

The application has been removed from the agenda for the Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday (November 21) in response to feedback from the Environment Agency.

 East Devon District Council said the Agency's comments - received late last week - related to concerns about the applicant's assessment of the flood risk presented by the development.  The Agency said there was a need for the applicant to provide a Flood Warning Evacuation Plan and that this should be done before planning permission is granted for the latest, revised proposals.

Rockfish won planning permission to convert the Drill Hall into a restaurant in February 2020, but there were delays caused by 'a legal point and the backdrop of the pandemic' and the permission expired in February this year.

However, the business remained keen to proceed and, earlier this year, submitted a revised application which also included the demolition of the nearby public toilet block, which Rockfish had acquired. The business proposed to demolish the block and replace it with an extension of the dining space, and to build two replacement public toilets in a standalone building behind the extension.

There was some concern over the loss of the toilet block, but the revised proposals were recommended for conditional approval.

Following the Environment Agency's intervention, a spokesperson for East Devon District Council said: "Both Rockfish and the Council (acting in its capacity as landowner), remain committed to achieve the redevelopment of this seafront site and Rockfish will continue to work with the Environment Agency and the Local Planning Authority to ensure that the application can be heard at a future planning committee as soon as possible."