Residents of Penwerris Lane and Meadowbank Road in Falmouth have said plans to build 135 students flats at the site of the former Falmouth Coachworks will create parking and traffic chaos.

Locals were at the Dracaena Centre on Wednesday afternoon to view the plans by developers AGR Living to put three blocks of accommodation in the former quarry off Penwerris Lane.

However concerns were raised that more cars and traffic would block the lane for residents and emergency vehicles and could lead to accidents, would create anti-social behaviour, and also that the top flats would overlook local housing and spoil the look and character of the area.

The developers said that the height of the development will be stepped, with smaller units at the front and taller, five storey blocks next to the quarry wall. They added that this will leave the roofs no higher than the existing buildings on Meadowbank Road behind.

And they also said that parking will not be a problem, as students will be required to sign a tenancy agreement forbidding them from bringing vehicles, and giving the company the right to terminate their lease if they break that rule.

However one resident who lives opposite the development said: "We have heard that before. How can you say you're not going to have a car? They'll say they haven't got a car but then park it somewhere else."

Mike Blackledge, who lives on Meadowbank Road, asked why developers were looking to build at the Coachworks when there were four earmarked sites on the Falmouth Local Plan which would more than accommodate any increase in student numbers.

He added: "They're talking about five storeys high, which will be six metres higher than Meadowbank Road."

And another resident said there had been a number of accidents on Penwerris Lane and nearby Symons Hill due to the narrow nature of the name. She said: "It's a stretch at the moment for emergency vehicles... a development that size there isn't suitable road access. And if they don't bring cars they will just be using taxis."

She added that instead of building student accommodation, the town needed affordable housing, and suggested a small scale project "for workers" with space for off road parking.

Konrad Aspinall, director of AGR Living, said he appreciated that student parking is "a big issue," but he felt it could be addressed through tenancy agreements.

Asked about how the management will know about students having cars, and whether they will have a proactive approach to parking management, he said: "They'll only know if they see people bringing

things they could only get in cars, or if they see cars. We need more feedback from planners on how they want us to manage parking."

He also said the site would be under 24 hour management, which could prevent anti-social behaviour.

AGR Living are currently collecting public feedback, ahead of submitting a formal planning application.