A six-storey shipping container tower housing hundreds of students could dominate the skyline over Penryn according to recently unveiled plans for the Kernick Road industrial estate.

Building developer Expedite Project Services has been working with the owners of Homeshed on Kernick Road to create an outline proposal for purpose-built student accommodation behind and above the furniture and flooring warehouse.

The company sought pre-application advice on a proposal for two five-storey buildings housing 290 students, on land off Annear Road behind Homeshed and Onyx, currently occupied by commercial buildings, with a second phase to create three-storeys of accommodation above the store for another 174 students.

However planning officers said they were shown different plans at a meeting, with 340 bed spaces in a "quadrangular arrangement over six storeys" on the land behind the two stores.

The builders are basing their design on a prefabricated modular structure, built out of interlocking shipping containers which would be pre-fabricated in China and transported to the UK, before being unloaded, driven to the site and lifted and fixed in place. A roof and facade would then be added.

Planning officer Mark Ball noted in his pre-application advice that the building behind Homeshed are currently occupied "at least in part" by a current business, and the loss of employment use could be an issue for developers, and it also falls within an area which has been to be safeguarded for employment use under Cornwall's Development Plan Document.

He also drew attention to a recent decision by a Cornwall Council planning committee to refuse plans for a large commercial warehouse at nearby Jennings Road - against planning officer advice - as it would mean the loss of existing small businesses.

Mr Ball also told the applicants that such a tall building would be unlikely to get permission. He said: "Other buildings elsewhere on the industrial estate are generally two storeys in height... I do not consider that buildings of the height and scale proposed would be likely to be acceptable in this context."

He added that the design "lacks inspiration and fails to show sufficient local distinctiveness," and also noted that it could be detrimental to the setting of nearby grade II listed Kernick House.

Mr Ball concluded the principle of providing student housing on the site could be acceptable, and "could potentially help to address the need for student accommodation in Falmouth and Penryn generated by the expansion of the university."

However, he added that further pre-application work would be needed.

The scheme includes space for a gym, common and study rooms, a laundry, cinema and offices, as well as communal open space.

However, there does not appear to be any provision for parking, and Mr Ball said it would be "an important benefit" if the scheme included some employment space.