Porthleven could get its own micro-brewery built out of a vehicle repair shop after planning application was submitted to Cornwall Council.

A change of use application has gone in to convert the existing vehicle repair workshop at The Shipyard in Harbour Head, Porthleven, into a tap room for a micro-brewery.

The plans, which were submitted by Alec Short, say the development would keep the industrial aesthetic of the building and surrounding area while providing a seating area at the front of the premises.

A statement accompanying the plans states that proposed development would cause little difference to the existing frontage apart from signage and the seating area. 

Interior changes would include a seating area as well as space for a serving bar.

A refrigeration room would also be included as well as a fermentation room and space for the main brewing station, which, if permission is granted, would be separate from the public areas.

The micro-brewery would also include views of the surrounding dockyard, with views of the boatyard and the northern end of the dock being most visible.

The key views of the brewery would be from and across the harbour, with additional views of a planned Lobster Hatchery from the approach into Porthleven from Methleigh Bottoms.

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The Porthleven Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy identifies the whole boat yard site as an ‘opportunity site’, capable of development if “tackled in a sensitive fashion which respects the historic character, grain and appearance of the Conservation Area.”

In its Heritage Impact Assessment, Mussel Shoal Brewery Porthleven, the brewers who would be using the site, said: “The proposed use class change to occupy the building through a temporary period before further permitted development is considered, to have minimal impact on the area providing delicate and aesthetic care is taken to the proposed seating area.”

The planning application comes at a time when the dockyard is currently undergoing further transformations with a warehouse at the site set to be become a new market area for both traders and the arts.

The proposed brewery would be located next to the warehouse holding the market, known as The Shipyard Market. When not in use as a market, the Shipyard Market facility will also be used for film showings, events and exhibitions, and for community groups to gather.

The Shipyard Market is due to open at the end of May, in what was once the Porthleven Metalworks warehouse and is hoping to include a large community art wall, where emerging local artists can display the artwork they have for sale.