Steps could be taken to protect Brixham’s Breakwater Beach area from over-development.

Councillors are being recommended to make the council-owned car park beside the beach an ‘asset of community value’, which could mean curtains for recent proposals to redevelop the area.

Listing a place as an asset of community value acknowledges that its main use is ‘to further the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community’. If the car park area is listed, the local community would also get the opportunity to club together and buy it if the council ever decided to sell.

The car park is caught up in plans which were unveiled by developers last summer to ‘transform’ the Breakwater Beach area. Hundreds of local people queued to examine the plans - and many were furious at what they said was a ‘monstrosity’ which would ruin the area.

Earlier this year the designers said they were going back to the drawing board to come up with something more acceptable.

The original £25 million hotel complex would have created a 44-bed hotel, spa and beachside bistro. But the multi-coloured design was compared to the fictional children’s TV show Balamory.

Jack Turton, who owns the bistro, said the scheme would bring new jobs and more tourists to Brixham.

Nearly 5,000 people joined an online protest group, and local MP Anthony Mangnall promised to present a petition to parliament.

The Breakwater Beach Community Group has made the application to have the area listed, and council officers are advising the cabinet to say yes.