Cornwall Council has refused permission for a new access road to be made to the Penmere Manor Hotel in Falmouth.

At a special meeting of the council’s sub-area planning committee, members voted eight to seven against allowing hotel owners Bemgo to add an extra entrance to the site from Queen Anne Gardens.

Falmouth Town Council had already made its own objections to the plans known following a site meeting on November 19, attended by around 40 local householders and interested parties.

The town council, which had already recommended refusal once, said: “The creation of the access as proposed would harm protected trees and be detrimental to wildlife habitat.” Councillors also expressed concern over highway safety and possible congestion in nearby streets.

There were 14 public comments submitted to the planning authority – 13 were objections and one was neutral. Among the objectors was a JK Brown, a resident of Queen Anne Gardens, who said: “We [the residents] can see no valid reason for this application, other than that the hotel proprietor does not want the occupants of his development to have access through his own spacious hotel car park.”

Refusing the planning application, Cornwall Council said: “The proposal would result in the introduction of an unnecessary means of access to a site already well served by suitable access points.

“This unnecessary development would have an adverse impact on the trees that grow on the boundary between the Penmere Manor site and Queen Anne Gardens.”

The council also said that the proposed road would be an innovative design and likely cause the premature decline of nearby trees due to root damage.