Tate+Co has received planning permission for the masterplan at Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall. The new proposal will dramatically improve the public realm of the bay, with expanded and improved facilities for the hotel. In particular, there will be a new public pavilion with a local shop and food outlet, new facilities that build on the Hotel’s active leisure concept and a stepped building that takes design inspiration from the surrounding terrain. When complete, the bay will be better for pedestrians create an attractive and consistent visitor experience in line with Watergate’s reputation as a resort of international renown.
The bay is split by the Trevarrian Hill road and the new plans take advantage of the shape of the land, reconnecting the coastal path and improving access.
A beach pavilion will be created at the corner of the site, which will be visible by people approaching from both Trevarrian and Tregurrian Hill and the public car park to the east. A robust structure, designed to withstand the harsh weather conditions, it has been designed as a landmark destination and will offer food and drinks. Its semicircular form allows it to sit snugly within the landscape and provide shelter and space for an array of vendors and a small shop.
Additional hotel accommodation will be provided in a low-slung and accessible building that acts as an extension to the existing Beach Lofts, which were themselves created by adapting a Jamie Oliver restaurant in 2021. A curved green roof will reduce the impact of the structure as it blends into the surrounding natural landscape. Timber slats are proposed to be laid out in a wave like form on the exterior to add interest to this façade and control solar gain.
On the Tregurrian site, a new stepped building will follow the rugged contours of the hill and present a variety of offers, all with a strong focus on wellbeing. Staff areas, food preparation and hotel leisure facilities will be contained in the lower levels with generously sized hotel apartments above, designed for groups and families that prefer more space. An open terrace for hotel guests will be located on a front deck, which will create a relationship with the heart of site and the bay. The form and materials take inspiration from the natural landscape, including stone cladding to mimic the nearby cliff edge and natural-finish fibre-board to match the beach colours and textures. Everything has been designed to age gracefully over time.
Laurence Pinnfire, Director here at Tate+Co said: “We’ve been working on the Watergate Bay masterplan since 2019 and it’s great to see the wider vision come to fruition as we carefully improve the area, step by step. We need to increase the offer of the bay but this can only be achieved by respecting the beautiful natural environment that is the main draw for visitors. The proposed accommodation and public facilities will provide a more coherent experience without detracting from the beach and cliffs.”
Will Ashworth, director at Watergate Bay Hotel said: “What we set out to achieve for our Watergate Bay masterplan was to extend and improve our unique guest experience, whilst at the same time creating a great public space for everyone from the community to come and enjoy our beautiful setting. Tate+Co and the design team have achieved just the right balance of this in their design and we cannot wait to take the project forwards to the next stages.”
Planning permission for the expansion was announced in Architects’ Journal.
Models for the new hotel development were created inhouse by our colleague, Architectural Designer, Nikita Schweizer.
