Barn Club Penzance site could become houses in Cornwall

St Ives-based PBWC Architects are acting as agents for the proposal to build nine houses on what was previously the car park of the Barn Club in Penzance.

The Barn Club was created by Ronnie Jelbert in the 1960s and as its name suggests it was previously a couple of barns in a farm field. It was a popular live music venue before being refitted and becoming Cornwall’s first purpose-built ‘discotheque’ in 1974. A haven for stag and hen parties, it eventually closed in the 2000s.

The site has more recently been used for an outlet store.

How the site looks now Image: Poynton Bradbry Wynter Coles Architects / Cornwall Council

Located in Gulval, the proposal contains nine three-bedroom houses, three of which have garages. Each property will have two dedicated off-street parking spaces, a patio area and a private garden to the rear.

The scale of the proposal is a reserved matter within the application. However, it is envisaged that the houses will be two storey, in keeping with the surrounding area.

Following some earlier design and highway concerns, the scheme has been changed to incorporate a parking court “resulting in a higher quality overall development”.

The plan for new houses on the site of the former Barn club in Gulval, Penzance

The application has already split opinion on a Facebook page dedicated to Penzance.

One resident wrote: “All about selling large houses that locals cannot afford... it’s not what Cornwall is about.”

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However, another replied: “It’s only nine houses, not a 50-storey tower block. The knee-jerk reaction to housing is insane! You all live in houses, and guess what... they didn’t grow on trees.

"Houses need to be built and it shouldn’t be the role of private developers to build social housing. Don’t blame them, blame your government... whatever colour you choose, as genuine social housing hasn’t been built for at least 40 years.”