THE people behind a bid to build ten homes on the site of a former Falmouth pub have appealed against a refusal of their application.

OPO Development (Cornwall) Ltd were refused permission to build the homes on the site of the former Boslowick Inn in Prislow Lane by Cornwall Council last year.

Now the developer has lodged an appeal against the refusal of the application with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Plans to demolish an empty pub and replace it with up to ten new homes was rejected by councillors last April.

Outline planning permission was sought to replace the Boslowick Inn in Falmouth with the new housing. The pub closed in October 2021

However when the plans went before Cornwall Council’s central sub-area planning committee the application was refused. Councillors said they were concerned about the loss of the pub as an historic asset.

Council planning officers had recommended that the plans be approved stating that attempts to sell the pub as a going concern had not attracted any offers.

They also told the committee that they had given weight to the provision of new homes during the current housing crisis.

Falmouth Town Council had objected to the application.

The applicants had looked at converting the pub building into housing but said that there was opposition to developments which would be used as student accommodation or as houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).

The building was not listed and had been described as being a non-designated heritage asset.

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Conservation officers had said that the loss of the building might be against planning policy; planning officers said this had been considered but they considered the building’s significance to be “relatively minor”.

The application was refused on the grounds of the loss of a community and heritage asset. 

The committee agreed to refuse outline planning permission with seven votes in favour, one against and one abstention.

Objectors or supporters of the appeal have until March 15 to comment on the application at acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk or by writing to The Planning Inspectorate, Tina Gozra, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN.