Plans to create 24 serviced apartments on the site of the Cornwall Car Centre in Falmouth's Dracaena Avenue, have won support in principle from town councillors, but they have rejected the current plans because of their size and design.

Councillors were told at a meeting of the town council's planning committee on Monday night, that the car sales garage is unviable so its owner, Mark Fernihough, is proposing to close it and replace it with the apartment building.

The idea is that the flats would be rented out on a short term basis, from one day to a maximum of six months, and would be targeted at tourists, professional workers and contractors working in the area, among others.

Members were given an assurance the apartments would not be used as second holiday homes or student accommodation and that serviced accommodation is the fastest growing holiday sector.

In addition to the 16, two-bedroomed flats and eight, one bedroomed units, there would be 29 parking spaces to the rear of the site, which is sandwiched between the police station and Dracaena playing fields.

Councillor John Spargo, vice chair of the planning committee, said: "I think it's way too big for the site. Too high and too far forward and I don't like the fact it's surrounded by tarmac. There's hardly any greenery at all because they've used it all up for parking."

He added: "If this was presented to us in model form, it would be so obvious why it's wrong."

Councillor Steve Eva agreed and said: "It's just too high. I would like to see it come down a level. I have nothing against the principle of this at all, it's something we could do with. We're always looking for places people can rent, especially people who come down for jobs at the docks and Port Pendennis, but I just cannot get over the mass of the building."

The committee voted to recommended that Cornwall Council refuse the application because of its design, size and position on the site, but councillors agreed they had nothing against the principle of the development.