Harrogate House, Falmouth apartment block application

At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council’s planning committee last week, councillors voted overwhelmingly to reject the proposal for the Harrogate House in Queen Mary Road.

Developer Harrogate Estates had originally applied to demolish Harrogate House and build in its place an 'Italianate' style four-storey block with a penthouse, complete with its own tower as well as a separate 'Wellness Centre'.

However after the plans were slammed by Falmouth Town Council and opposed by local residents the application was withdrawn.

They have now returned with a new proposal to demolish the house and build a 12-unit apartment building with a different design instead.

The new proposed design for the site (Image: MAISON IOM ARCHITECTS)

The committee was addressed by objector Liz Griffiths whose home in Boscawen Road would be directly overlooked.

She said it was a landmark building that should be saved in its entirety and was a historical asset to the Falmouth conservation area and the community.

She said the proposed development would mean her home directly behind it in Boscawen Road completely losing its privacy according to this “ill-thought out and overblown scheme with a terrible design aesthetic.”

She said of the 18 windows the majority overlooked her only private space, her garden, as well as looking down directly into her bedroom windows.

In his comments, members were told, the case officer said it was the last original house in this row and despite its run down appearance made a positive contribution to the character of the conservation area.

“The loss of Harrogate House would inevitably result in some harm to the character and appearance to this sensitive part of the conservation area,” he said.

Falmouth mayor Cllr Steve Eva said: “They’ve reduced the size of it but it’s nowhere near acceptable, it’s in a conservation area and therefore it shouldn’t be allowed.

The site over looks St Mary Gardens and Gylly Beach (Image: Paul Armstrong)

“It would just be overbearing to the gardens and the people who live around there and if there’s anywhere in Falmouth you don’t want a block of flats like that that’s exactly where you don’t want to put them, so I can’t support this.”

READ NEXT:

Trader licensing applications considered by Falmouth Town Council this month

Jude Robinson said what was proposed was totally out of character even with the changes and was still “massive and huge” and the main thing was not to lose this “historic” house

“I kind of get annoyed when houses like that are allowed to deteriorate so then it becomes like a choice between having a derelict house or a block of flats, it feels like your arm's being twisted,” she said.

“It just seems like some developers are just not going to be happy until Falmouth seafront looks like Benidorm.”

Councillors voted to recommend refusal of the application on the same grounds as its recommendation for refusal of the previous withdrawn application.