PLANS to turn Kimberley Park Lodge into a cafe and radio studio have been given the go-ahead but there is still concern over where the money for the project will come from.

Cornwall Council's planning department have given the go-ahead for Falmouth Town Council's plans to convert the lodge at the entrance to the park for community use.

Project leader on Falmouth Town Council, Cllr Jude Robinson told the Packet that the town council's delight was tempered by being turned down for funding again by Cornwall Council.

Falmouth Packet: A computer generated image of how the lodge could lookA computer generated image of how the lodge could look (Image: Concept Hormann Architects)

Cllr Robinson told the Packet: "Our delight at the Kimberley Park Lodge planning consent was a bit tempered by being turned down yet again for funding by Cornwall Council.

"And we know that Rishi Sunak may U-turn on the Shared Prosperity Fund so we might have missed the boat on that. I know [Cllr] Jayne Kirkham is following that up this week and we will keep looking for funding in partnership with SourceFM." 

Falmouth Town Council joined forces with Source FM to put together plans to convert the lodge at the entrance of Kimberley Park.

Falmouth Packet: A computer generated image of how the cafe could lookA computer generated image of how the cafe could look (Image: Concept Hormann Architects)

The redevelopment would see the revitalisation of the lodge as a new communal café and communal radio station with studio and training facilities, but it all depends on getting funding

The proposed café will be in the old historic part of the lodge with the biggest change being the removal of the chimney on the ground floor only. There are plans for a seating area outside.

The communal radio station will be in the rear facing the outdoor seating area.

Two small sheds to the rear of the building will be torn down and a small outbuilding would be built next to the public toilets for uses as a boiler engineering room.

Falmouth Packet: The extension at the rear will have to be completely demolishedThe extension at the rear will have to be completely demolished (Image: Paul Armstrong)

The extension at the rear of the building originally built in the 1970s is beyond repair and will have to be completely demolished and replaced with a wooden slat fronted structure to house the radio studio.

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The radio studios would be used by local community radio station Source FM to broadcast its programmes as well as providing workshops for the local community and enable it to be closer to the Park Live events which are held in the park every year when we are not in lockdown.

Last year Falmouth mayor Cllr Steve Eva told councillors that, unless the project got off the ground this year, it wasn't going to happen.