Building nine dwellings, including an apartment block, on sloped land behind Berkeley Vale, Falmouth would not be acceptable, a developer has been told.

EO Developments Limited had sought pre-application advice from Cornwall Council for the development of nine buildings on land north of 22 and 24 Berkeley Vale.

The site is situated on land to the rear of the vale and is located on the edge of Falmouth Conservation Area with numbers 18 and 20 listed.

Falmouth Packet: A computer generated image of how the suggested nine dwellings would have looked from Berkeley ValeA computer generated image of how the suggested nine dwellings would have looked from Berkeley Vale (Image: Koha Architects)

In its submission to the council, the developer said the proposals had been carefully considered to ensure they respect their settings in terms of both the character and appearance of the conservation area and the setting of the nearby listed buildings.

“The sense of the buildings behind is still confirmed by the ‘Yoga Hut’ with views of the housing beyond and the proposals will not impact the ability to appreciate the character of Berkeley Vale or the setting of the listed buildings on approach to and from Falmouth Town Centre,” says a report written for the developer from Portico Heritage.

“The scale, design and character of the proposed development has been informed by the character of the surrounding area ensuring that it sits contextually within the area and does not dominate views to the north of Berkeley Vale.”

However in their reply to the request for advice, the planning office said nine dwellings is beyond what would be acceptable for the size of the site.

Falmouth Packet: East elevation as proposed by Koha ArchitectsEast elevation as proposed by Koha Architects (Image: Koha Architects)

They said the apartment block and houses within the curtilage listed garden are not acceptable and the most appropriate scheme would be a terrace of houses on the western boundary.

“It is considered, as the site is sustainably located within Falmouth town, there is planning principle for housing on the site subject to the following material considerations notably with regard to quality of provision, design and density,” they said in their reply.

“With regard to the number of dwellings proposed for the site and the requirement for the site to be in keeping with the conservation area and not the area outside of this designation, it is thought nine dwellings is beyond what would be acceptable for the size of the site.”

They said the proposed height of the dwellings when experienced from the footpath was also overbearing to pedestrians.

No planning application has actually yet been submitted.