Wetherspoons, Falmouth roof terrace go-ahead

Despite objections from neighbours and Falmouth Civic Society, Cornwall Council has given the go ahead for the terrace this week, with conditions. The news came on the same day that Boris Johnson announced a route map to pubs in the country reopening.

Cornwall Council rejected an application in 2018 which was first mooted in 2017 before being refused by Cornwall Council in January 2018 and then by a planning inspector on appeal the following October over noise and conservation issues.

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The new application reduces the covers from 174 to 104.

Wetherspoons spokesman Eddie Gershon said the pub chain was absolutely delighted with the news.

"The Packet Station is an extremely popular pub in Falmouth and we are always keen to give our customers the best possible facilities and believe that the addition of a roof terrace will be welcomed by customers," he said.

"This highlights our investment in both pub and town and hopefully act as a catylyst for other businesses to invest in Falmouth."

Although it has been given the go-ahead Cornwall Council has stipulated a number of conditions, the main one being that it has to close at 7pm every evening and not open before 9.30am in the morning.

A computer generated image of the original proposal

There must also be no outside seating/drinking within the area to the rear (north) as a beer garden.

There is also no music allowed and all the lights on the terrace must be switched off within 30 minutes of the deck closing.

In its design statement Wetherspoons, through K D Paine & Associates Ltd, said the purpose of the proposal was to create an additional external customer seating area ancillary to the existing public house, located on the existing flat roof area.

"The space is currently underused and is home to unsightly ducting and ventilation equipment. It is inaccessible to everyone except for maintenance. The area of the additional terrace is currently an unused flat roof area accessible only for maintenance access and for the mounting of mechanical services.

"The area newly created would be wholly ancillary to the main use of the building as a public house, and access would be through the public house only.

"On the new terrace there will be no public address system, no live or piped music of any kind.

"The only means of access will be through the existing public house. This ensures full control of the use and access remains with the public house management.

Supervision of the area will be enhanced by use of an extended CCTV system."

The roof terrace will be bounded by the existing enclosing parapet walls and will be stepped back from the buildings edge, to ensure it doesn’t effect the

building outline from street level.

Access to the new terrace will be by an extension of the existing internal stair to roof level. This will be enclosed within a lightweight glass sided flat roofed enclosure.

A lift will be installed in the stairwell to allow full access to all customers, particularly those with mobility difficulties.

"The proposed terrace area will have little impact on the appearance of the existing building. As it will be stepped back from the edge of the roof ensuring it has a very limited impact on the street scape."

An impression of how screening will be used. Picture K D Paine & Associates Ltd

Neighbour Julie Evans, whose home is three metres to the rear of the pub, had objected to the scheme over public noise.

"We have enough trouble with the noise - when open of course - with the small outside space they have at the rear of the premises. We understand that there will be no live music, however, there will still be public noise with regards to customers during these hours."

Falmouth Civic Society had also objected saying it was concerned about the impact this will have on the surrounding houses ie in terms of light and sound pollution.

However Falmouth Town Council had recommended approval for the project.