Falmouth University has unveiled plans to build accommodation for 1,050 students at the Penryn Campus, but with no provision for parking.

The plans, which were on display to the public at the campus on Wednesday afternoon, are for a mix of flats and town houses, between two and seven storeys, on land overlooking B&Q and the rear of Parkengue industrial estate.

Peter Howells the university's residences project manager, said there had been plenty of questions from residents about parking at the site, and told the Packet that there would be none as it was "part of the green travel plan."

He said: "Around 75 per cent of the students who will be based her will study on campus, and then the facilities are already in place around the green travel plan, with buses between Penryn and Falmouth."

He added that the scheme operator would be looking to encourage the attitude that students don't need cars, and "sew that culture in the first year, and that carries on in second and third years."

Asked what repercussions there would be for students who decided to bring cars and park them off campus, he said it "could be considered."

Chief operating officer Peter Cox said the buildings were the final phase of on-campus accommodation, apart from "one or two" possible infill sites. Asked why the university was only building space for 1,000 extra students in town houses rather than something higher density, he said: "that's what we have outline planning permission for."

Mr Cox also highlighted that an application for permission to allow 2,500 extra students at the Campus will be linked to the provision of accommodation, and would not be able to proceed unless there was at least 2,000 new purpose built beds.

He said: "The first thousand, we hope, will be these ones on campus. The other thousand would be provided by private sector development on a few identified sites that would go through a planning process.

"They could be Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, or anywhere in between."

Asked why the university was considering handing over the running of the new accommodation to private sector firms, Mr Cox said that the development was planned on a DPFO - design–build–finance–operate - system as it was "a big financial commitment." The DPFO model could mean that the students are not answerable to the university for their behaviour but to third party contractors, although Mr Cox said as the university already operates residences on campus the same team could take over running the new block.

He added that the DPFO system could allow the university "focus on what we are good at, educating and teaching the students."

Penryn residents Alison Gay and Emma Curnow attended the consultation. They said: "It looks ok. It's just for first year students, where are they going to go afterwards? This bit isn't the problem, it's later on.

"If they have been here for the first year they will be here hopefully for the rest, but they have got to find somewhere to stay."

The university is consulting with the public now ahead of a planning application in November, with hopes that a decision will be reached in January or February next year, followed by a procurement and contracts process.

A copy of the consultation boards and a response form can be found at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DVJWMFP and the survey is open until Friday.