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Latest news - 13th November 2011 |
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Latest news - 30th June 2011 |
A meeting is to take place this week between representatives of the Greenbank Hotel, and Cornwall Council Planning Department. It is believed that this relates to the public amenity space on the town side of the hotel premises, known as Greenbank Gardens. Part of this open park space is owned by the hotel, and has been on a long lease to the Council, who own the remainder, for 99 years. This lease has apparently now expired, and it has been reported that the Council appear to have lost their records of the lease conditions.
The
Save our Foreshores group requested to have a representative attend this meeting: this request was turned down. |
News - 1st December 2009 |
There have recently been site surveys carried out around the
Greenbank Hotel, and it is understood that the Greenbank Hotel are
about to re-submit a planning application for development.
Visitors to this website will recall that the two 2008 planning
applications by the Greenbank Hotel were withdrawn in March 2009.
We can only speculate as to the reason for this withdrawal, however
it is not hard to suspect that the applicant believed they would
not be successful.
Whilst the 2008 plans proposed building on the waterfront area to
the north of the hotel, it is believed that plans may now be being
drawn up for works affecting both to the north and south of the
hotel, to include some if not all of the existing park area open
to the public between the Greenbank Hotel and the Royal Cornwall
Yacht Club.
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Recent History - the 2008
Greenbank Hotel planning applications |
After several years of rumours circulating about
the owners of the Greenbank Hotel planning to revisit earlier attempts
to develop housing and/or a marina on the foreshore to the north
of the existing hotel, plans were first made public in August 2008.
Partial plans and sketches were shown at a "public consultation
event" at the Greenbank Hotel on 21st August 2008.
The plans showed a development of four piers, each with two storeys
of accommodation, which were described as self-catering suites and
rooms. The piers extended into the river, and the total developed
area of the hotel 'footprint' would more than double, with an extensive
area of hotel only car parking over what currently appears as a
green wooded bank. |
The plans were described at this public showing
as provisional, and it was in mid-November that the finalised
plans were submitted to Carrick District Council. The
plans finally submitted had substantial detailed differences from
those exhibited three months earlier, but the overall scale of the
development was unchanged.
The plans described the project variously as "waterside
apartments", "holiday apartments",
"individual holiday lets", and "rooms
and suites". |
A report produced for the developers by Cornwall
Historic Environment Service (Projects), part of Cornwall County
Council, and submitted as part of the planning application, stated:-:
"The impact of this proposed development
will dramatically alter the visual character of the landscape from
a surviving intertidal riverine or waterfront zone to a dense pocket
of modern built apartments, which although fronted by newly constructed
pontoons will be of a quite different character and function to
the current blend of natural and historic waterfront. The similarity
of the proposed buildings along the length of the water’s
edge (despite differences in roof angles) will strongly contrast
with the surrounding mix and variety of building styles and uses.
Their construction will shroud from view existent exposed and overgrown
waterfront walling, altering the visual setting of both the Listed
Quay and the immediately overlooking partially Listed Stratton Terrace.
The historic setting and context of Greenbank Quay, and Stratton
Terrace will as a result be changed, and adversely affected."
and
"From Flushing the loss of this
essentially green, undeveloped intertidal pocket of waterfront (see
the two aerial photographs – Figs 6 and 7) to a substantial,
intensively developed modern waterfront will be particularly noticeable." |
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Many residents of Falmouth, and beyond, expressed serious doubts
about the true nature of this development, and its financial viability
as an hotel. There was little doubt, however, that it could quickly
be substantially profitable as a development of second homes and
residential apartments. The fears were that after a brief period
of use as an hotel extension, an application would be made for change
of use to residential units which would be sold off as second homes. |
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