Plans to convert the former Falmouth Methodist Church into a community space with shops and flats failed to get the blessing of the town council last night.

Business partners Harry James Mills and Shaun White, who now own the former church on Killigrew Street, have applied a change of use to include commercial spaces on the ground floor, apartments at first floor and retaining the second floor space for a community and private function space.

But at a meeting of Falmouth Town Council's planning committee last night (March 13), councillors recommended refusal of the application over concerns around the size of the accommodation.

“[The government] have living space standards for a reason,” said mayor Steve Eva “This is well below that. While I do think the scheme is good, they need to cut down on the amount of flats and they need to make the space big enough for people to live in.”

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Cllr John Spargo said the layout of the flats, which were studio flats which he didn’t like, were dictated by the position of the windows and they needed to rejig the layout.

The committee said it was in favour of the redevelopment as a whole but wanted to see the flats made bigger.

The application will now go before Cornwall Council’s planning committee for a final decision to be made.