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Bid to turn vets into homes among latest Cornwall planning applications
Plans to convert a former vet’s surgery into homes and a bid to convert historic Old County Hall in Truro were among the latest planning applications submitted to Cornwall Council in the week beginning June 12.
Every week more than 100 applications are validated by Cornwall Council and we have selected some of the more interesting proposals. All planning applications submitted to the council have to be validated and are available for inspection by the public. Anyone is also allowed to submit comments about the applications – whether in support or objection.
The majority of applications are decided by planning officers at the council under delegated powers. However, some applications will go before elected councillors who sit on planning committees. No dates have been set for when the planning applications below will be determined. They can be viewed by going to the planning portal on Cornwall Council’s website.
Read next: Bid to turn historic Cornish building into student flats
New plans to convert vets into homes
The council has received an application on behalf of Arbernneck for the development of Northbrook House, Melvill Road, Falmouth – the former home of Rosemullion Veterinary Practice – for change of use to three apartments and the construction of three houses.
Northbrook House was built in the late 1880s and was under private ownership and is believed to have been altered and extended a number of times to eventually comprise four residential apartments. In 1987 the building was adapted to accommodate the vet’s surgery, which left the property and relocated in 2021.
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The proposals are to provide three flats within the main building, demolish the rear extension and build three townhouses. A previous scheme was refused by Cornwall’s planners last year.
A number of objections were raised by members of the public and consultees, including Falmouth Town Council which recommended refusal on the grounds of overdevelopment, lack of amenity space, insufficient parking and potential overlooking issues.
The applicant has now resubmitted altered plans taking into account comments by officers and objectors.
Traffic plan for building in the centre of Truro
Verto Homes has applied for various elements to be permitted to allow the previously approved building of the company’s offices in the centre of Truro. A zero carbon office building, with potential to sublet to other businesses, was approved in 2021 for land accessed via People’s Palace ope to the rear of Pydar Street.
Verto has now applied for various works including a traffic management plan. Heavy plant and construction vehicles would be able to access the site to the rear of the Halifax bank through a controlled barrier off The Leats.
Deliveries to the site via Union Street, Castle Street and The Leats would be strictly during working hours only (8am to 5.30pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays). Due to the location of the site and limited access, artic lorries are not suitable to carry out deliveries. The total estimate build time is expected to be 12 months.
New houses in Carnon Downs
Plans have been lodged to build five houses with associated works on land adjacent to Valley Lane, Quenchwell Road, Carnon Downs between Truro and Falmouth.
The site relates to an enclosed irregular shaped parcel of unused land to the northern side of the village. The site is enclosed on all sides with Quenchwell Road to the north-west, Carnon Downs Garden Centre to the north-east, dwellings at Valley Lane to the south-west, and further residential properties to the south-east.
Conversion of Old County Hall to student flats
Cornwall Council has received an application for listed building consent to convert its former base Old County Hall in Truro into student accommodation. If approved, the building – which has been empty for over ten years – would provide 83 beds for students of Falmouth University and the University of Exeter.
CAD Architects has submitted plans on behalf of applicant Peter Woods, of OCH Residential Truro Limited, to convert Grade II listed Old County Hall – which was built in the early 20th century – into student accommodation in 17 “cluster units”, which would be offered to students under the management of Falmouth Exeter Plus (FXPlus), the organisation which manages and delivers services at Penryn, Falmouth and Truro campuses. There would also be amenity space and parking for 18 cars.
The planning application states: “The proposal is to convert Old County Hall into student accommodation in a sustainable urban location – and this use will safeguard the future of the currently vacant property which is a valuable heritage asset.”
It adds: “There is now an increasing need for dedicated student accommodation in the Truro area, due to the growth of both Falmouth and Exeter universities which are now expanding outwards from the Falmouth/Penryn area. Rising student housing need in the Truro vicinity includes both the intended relocation of elements of Falmouth University to the Pydar Street redevelopment, and the already existing need to accommodate medical students in Truro due to the increasing capacity of the University of Exeter Medical School and proximity of the Knowledge Spa medical school at the nearby Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske.”
The building already benefits from planning and listed building consents which granted approval in 2014 for extensive modifications to turn Old County Hall into a hotel, plus conversion of the adjacent coach house into two homes, with a further 12 new-build apartments to the side and the erection of 23 ‘apart-hotel’ flats on the car park site to the rear of the building. The scheme for hotel use proved to be undeliverable.
To date, the coach house conversion has been completed, along with the construction of the 12 new-build apartments – now known as Assay House. Further planning and listed building applications were lodged by Acorn Blue in 2021 which still await determination; these proposals would involve the conversion of Old County Hall to 34 apartments.
The applicant says: “Our proposed conversion seeks simply to restore the external appearance of Old County Hall to its original grandeur, without the need for any significant external interventions to the façade. Furthermore, the council chamber itself will return to its original domed glory for student social/amenity and curriculum use – accessed via the striking Edwardian entrance staircase rising from the portico entrance on Station Road.”
The individual student bedrooms would be grouped in clusters of predominantly five and six-bed units, each with a dedicated kitchen/living room and bathroom/ensuite facilities, which “will enable the proposed provider FXPlus a degree of financial flexibility in setting the rent brackets for differing types of bedrooms and associated facilities”.
The bulk of Old County Hall was built between 1910 and 1912 to designs by Silcock and Reay, with further rear extensions in 1924. The council vacated the building in 2012, with most of its staff moving further up the hill to New County Hall, which has now been renamed Lys Kernow.
The application states: “Without doubt, the development will preserve and enhance the character of this important listed building – along with the appearance of the conservation area – and safeguard the future of this significant heritage asset, ensuring its long-term viability and its presence as an iconic building in Truro’s streetscape.”
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