Cornwall Council planning officers have said they would like to see a well known barn in Penryn brought into use as housing but would not support a developers current plans to tear down its walls.

The owners of Eastwood Barn, which sits near the corner of Eastwood Road and Falmouth Road and has been empty for 12 years, had proposed to demolish most of the building before rebuilding as two flats with maisonettes above.

A pre-application request submitted to the council had outlined plans to remove most of the current building, including the facade which faces onto Eastwood Road, leaving only the walls adjoining the grade II listed Eastwood Farm.

Planning officers said the principle of residential development on the site would be supported but the council would not support the current scheme "as submitted."

A design and access statement presented with the pre-application described the facade as having "little of architectural merit" and said the front elevation had "Cornish stone applied to the entrance and cement surrounds to the windows," while the west elevation had "a modern slate hanging wall on the first floor gable end and painted stone walls."

It added: "In order to make the project commercially viable we needed to provide more floor area and the existing plans are too restrictive. We also felt that a new facade would not only upgrade the appearance but that it would be in keeping and enhance the conservation area."

Considering the building has been empty for over a decade, planning officer Nigel Brabyn said there was no reason to object to a change of use, despite the need to try and retain small business premises in the area. He added that despite the lack of parking the site was close enough to public transport to be considered a sustainable location.

Mr Brabyn did however object to the plans' over their impact on the nearby listed building and Penryn's conservation area.

He found that proposed roof alterations would screen views of Eastwood Farmhouse Barn and reduce its architectural historic value, and a a second floor with a dormer window and rooflights change the traditional built form of the building and its relationship with neighbouring properties.

He added: "The front elevation visually suffers from previous inappropriate renovation works, but this could be easily reversed. Although the existing building has been unsympathetically altered in the past, the overall form of the building does not have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of this part of the Penryn Conservation Area, however, it is considered that the proposed alterations... would not maintain the special character and appearance of this part of the Penryn Conservation Area, and it would also result in substantial harm to the setting of Eastwood Farmhouse."