One of Cornwall’s last surviving nightclubs will be turned into flats despite a recommendation that a council planning committee refuse the application due to concerns about noise from neighbouring bars.
Warwick Royden, who has owned Grade II listed The Office nightclub at River Walk, Truro since 2019, applied to Cornwall Council to convert the premises into four flats as his bid to turn it into the Duchy’s “go-to” nighttime venue had failed due to the double whammy of the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis.
The council’s planning department recommended refusal due to “significant concerns” about future occupants of the flats being at risk from unreasonable noise and disturbance from neighbouring licensed venues Vertigo and Central Bar and, to a lesser extent, Kathmandu Palace restaurant. There were also concerns of flooding from the neighbouring River Allen.
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A previous application to convert the club to flats was refused. While the previous consent did not cite flood risk as a reason for refusal, an updated flood risk assessment (FRA) was submitted with the application which indicated that the site is located within an area at risk of tidal flooding.
Mr Royden told a meeting of the council’s central sub-area planning committee on Monday: “I bought The Office in 2019 with the intention of turning it into Cornwall’s ‘go-to’ nighttime venue. This was thrown into total disarray when Covid hit, shortly followed by the cost of living crisis.
"We’re here today not through choice but out of necessity. We’ve tried everything – the club is simply not financially viable anymore. I cannot afford to see this building become redundant. My planning application is trying to find a solution to this.
“Two different acoustics specialists both reported that noise that may affect residents can be designed out. To our knowledge, public protection officers haven’t conducted their own noise testing at the club. 14 St Mary’s Street, adjacent to Vertigo, exactly as we are, won an appeal for residential conversion after an acoustics specialist demonstrated that noise issues can be designed out.”
He added: “A need to address flood risk has arisen in recent months. We responded to a request for an updated FRA which now contains the latest data from the Environment Agency. The first application was deemed acceptable in terms of flood risk.
"We challenged the EA on tidal flood risk due to the fact that the future maintenance or improvement of the flood defence system is totally out of my control. The EA officers acknowledged they can’t comment on any future government spending, but surely this tidal defence is relevant to many other properties in Truro, not just mine.
“Our expert flood and drainage specialist has assured me my building is suitable for residential use. We are trying to find a viable use for the building – it’s been advertised for sale since November 2022 without a single enquiry. The opportunity for residential accommodation in Truro city centre is something that Truro City Council has already accepted.”
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Cllr Chris Wells, the division member for the area, supported the proposal. He said: “We are encouraging, in the Truro and Kenwyn Neighbourhood Plan, more residential use within the town centre. There are two key aspects to this which are causing an issue – noise and flood. As far as noise is concerned I’ve been assured that the applicant has employed two noise consultants who believe that with mitigation these can be dealt with.
“The other point regarding flooding in the area is something that didn’t arise in the initial application. That could be applied to any development in this area whatever the use is made of this building, so if the right mitigations are in place for both noise and flood I’m persuaded that those are sufficient to allow this application to proceed.”
Cllr John Fitter asked: “Do you have concern for Vertigo’s future trading ability should this development go ahead because the principle is that the maker of the noise nuisance is the person who has to curtail it?”
Cllr Wells responded: “There is no suggestion of making [Vertigo] more soundproofed. It is mitigation in regard to the conversion of the existing property so they don’t hear noise being emitted from the neighbouring properties, Central Bar and Vertigo.”
Mark Hitchens, an environmental health officer at Cornwall Council, said even with the mitigations he still had concerns that music, noise from customers leaving the nearby bars and also people smoking outside the rear of the Central Bar could lead to complaints from residents of the new flats.
“The likelihood of conflict in my view is quite high. Putting a residential place between two licensed premises where there will be noise impact does not sit well with us. Ultimately we’re there to try and protect residents – future and existing residents,” he added.
Truro councillor Rob Nolan proposed that the committee should approve the plans.
He said: “The Truro and Kenwyn Neighbourhood Plan particularly wants to bring people into the city, to live in the flats above shops, and we’ve been quite successful in converting some of those. The Towns Fund is also converting offices into residential. With the university coming there will be a need for accommodation.
“Against that is the very real issue of noise. It is a surprisingly noisy area late at night. When it all calms down the cathedral starts ringing its bells and people do complain about it, but we wouldn’t ask [the cathedral] to stop. If you want to live in the centre of a city you put up with some noise.
"I’m sure there will be some complaints for the noise team if we allow this, but the alternative is to leave the building derelict again; an empty building to join the list of empty buildings in Truro.”
Cllr Peter Perry seconded and added: “There are two pluses – if you were a tenant there it’s very handy for a takeaway and at a party you can make as much damn noise as you like because no one’s going to complain.”
To laughter, he added: “I have absolutely no hesitation in supporting it.”
The committee voted six in favour and five against to approve the club’s conversion to flats.
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