Plans to build a brand new community centre for the Bosvale Community Association look set to be scrapped after the association said it didn't want it.
At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council’s planning committee on Monday night, councillors were told that Bosvale Community Association no longer wished to have the facility built within a larger development of 69 "care" apartments to be built on the site.
The chairman had written to Cornwall Council saying it could cause both management and noise issues for future residents in the building once it was built and occupied.
Falmouth Rotary Club donated the land, between Prislow Fields and Charles Avenue, to the Abbeyfield Society which intended to build an “extra care” facility of 69 apartments and also incorporate a brand new centre for the Bosvale Community Association.
Outline planning permission for the 'extra care' dwellings was granted back in November 2016, after it went to appeal.
However after planning permission for the site was granted, Abbeyfield concluded that the site was not financially viable for it to deliver the approved scheme.
The project was taken over by Mears Limited who formed the Cornwall Extra Care Strategic Partnership with Cornwall Council to deliver around 750 extra care units across the county in the next ten years. One of the sites it chose was Bosvale.
It has asked that the stipulation that it incorpoated the centre into the new building be removed.
Instead it has offered to give the association a large amount of money to improve the kitchen and bathroom facilities in the existing building.
It would also improve the car park and the access lane and carry out a free tree inspection every five years for 25 years and a 125 year lease to the association for a peppercorn rent.
It also wants to remove the condition to supply affordable housing as it says with this type of development it is not required. Instead it would give a financial contribution to affordable housing off-site and £25,000 towards off-site public open spaces.
Cllr Steve Eva, a former chair of Bosvale Community Association, said what they wanted to achieve down there was a good thing.
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He said he had no objection to them improving the community centre but having a community centre in the new building would be problematic.
“It would have meant you would have had to pack everything away and I don’t think it would have worked,” he said. “It’s quite a good idea that they want to improve the community centre.”
Councillors recommended approving the application to remove the conditions.
Currently Mears Limited do not have a legal interest in the land but will take a lease from Cornwall Council who are, in turn, currently negotiating to take a lease from the Falmouth Rotary Club.
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