A major step forward in reinstating the popular helicopter route between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has been made with the planning application to build a replacement heliport in Penzance now lodged with Cornwall Council.

The submission follows the consultation events held in Penzance and St Mary’s in September where there was much enthusiasm and support for the proposal. Feedback received since the announcement to reinstate the vital transport link to the islands was taken into consideration in the final designs and reports submitted to the council.

The planning authority will soon start its 21-day formal consultation process, inviting people to officially make any comments in response to the application. The consultation process is expected to begin this week, so feedback should be submitted as soon as possible.

Robert Dorrien-Smith, owner of Tresco Island and one of the investors in Penzance Heliport Ltd, said: “This is a major milestone in the project to bring back the helicopter service. We’ve had an overwhelming level of support since announcing the plans to reinstate the helicopter service. "However, any feedback received to date does not feed into the official planning consultation. We now need everyone to send these comments and show support for the project to the planning authority so they can be considered by the committee.”

A decision on the planning application is expected in early 2017. Members of the public can comment on the proposal by going to cornwall.gov.uk/planning and searching for reference PA16/09346. Alternatively comments can be submitted by email, quoting the reference number, to planning@cornwall.gov.uk, or by post to Planning, Cornwall Council, County Hall, Treyew Road, Truro, TR1 3AY.