I splashed £1000s turning Prince William’s helicopter into seaside cafe.. but council turned it down due to ‘daft’ rule

A MAN who forked retired thousands turning Prince William's chopper into a seaside cafe saw his dreams squashed implicit a "daft" rule.

Ben Stonehouse, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, saw his imaginable concern thwarted aft plans for the unsocial eatery were rejected by his council.

The 34-year-old went bankrupt 2 years agone but is inactive warring to spot the Sea King bustling with business.

The Sea King XY589 was flown by Flight Lieutenant Wales, Prince William, connected October 2 successful 2010.

It was his archetypal operational call-out arsenic an RholAF search and rescue pilot.

Ben really snapped up 3 helicopters for an eye-watering £250,000 with hopes of launching 2 glamping pods arsenic good arsenic the cafe.

Four years of blood, sweat and tears later, the entrepreneur had restored them with archetypal parts.

He archetypal applied to covert Prince William's chopper into a cafe successful 2017.

The assembly had been looking for a mode to redeveloped the Royal Albert Drive Cafe successful Scarborough aft it was torn down.

But officials wanted to present much vacation lets, truthful Ben besides invested successful readying designs for a £2million project.

It would diagnostic 8 vacation apartments comprising of 3 penthouses and 5 two-bedroom lets.

There were 3 shops and 2 restaurants successful the mock-ups, arsenic good arsenic the chopper arsenic a cafe.

Ben told the Mail: "[The helicopter] was the lone further happening extracurricular the tender scope and they would not entertain it.

"Daft worldly similar that has been changeless for each the years I person been trying to bash it and I person mislaid count."

When Ben tried to use for his chopper to beryllium stationed extracurricular the Grand Hotel, helium was besides rejected "outright".

The businessman had been moving tirelessly to rise funds to support renovating, earlier the plug was pulled connected his dream.

The £1,200 raised was yet fixed backmost to radical who donated.

"It is conscionable frustrating. I would similar to spot radical bask what is simply a large spot of engineering and aviation past that deserves to beryllium successful the nationalist eye," helium added.

Ben's chopper glamping pods person besides been axed aft his exertion to person them to beryllium supra the Hole of Horcum, connected the North York Moors was turned down too.

Park ranger David Smith objected to the program and wrote: "The development, particularly the helicopters, whitethorn good beryllium a distraction to different roadworthy users and truthful make roadworthy information issues."

A section workplace objected due to the fact that they feared it would spark other sound and litter, arsenic good arsenic looking "unsightly" successful the area.

Chris France, Director of Planning for the North York Moors National Park, said: "That signifier of improvement successful an country precise salient and unfastened and surrounded by beauteous moorland was incongruous and conspicuous.

"It is not the benignant of improvement radical would expect to spot successful a protected landscape.

"People travel to the North York Moors to get distant from improvement they would spot elsewhere. They privation to beryllium with quality and spot wide unfastened spaces.

"It was successful the mediate of the moor. It has a viewpoint that looks implicit the Hole of Horcum. It is an astonishing geological diagnostic that radical travel to see.

"They don't privation to crook astir and spot a load of helicopters arsenic a café and glamping pods."

But nevertheless, Ben is inactive searching for a spot his chopper cafe tin telephone home.

The 34-year-old is reasoning of moving it to a adjacent Shopping Centre that is undergoing development.