TREES have come to the rescue of residents fighting plans to prevent a new access being created into the grounds of a hotel in Falmouth.

Planning permission was previously granted allowing two hotel lodges and five new homes to be built within the grounds of the Penmere Manor Hotel.

A condition of that consent was that no new access was to be introduced from Queen Anne Gardens.

A fresh application was submitted, however, seeking permission to lift that condition which prompted a flurry of objections from residents along with a 60-signature petition.

That application has now been refused by Cornwall Council because of the need to protect trees, with the council’s tree officer saying that the trees that grow on the boundary between the hotel site and Queen Anne Gardens “have a significant level of public visual amenity” and make “a positive contribution” to the local landscape.

The proposals would have led to the removal of one of the large beech trees and the remaining trees would have been damaged by the work.

In making his recommendation to refuse the application, case officer, Matthew Doble said: “This harm could lead to the premature demise of those trees and the resulting loss would have a significant and detrimental impact upon the landscape.”