Wine bar plan for Porthleven China clay store (From Falmouth Packet)

Wine bar plan for Porthleven China clay store

8:00am Saturday 20th October 2012 in News

Plans to finally revamp Porthleven’s long-redundant China Clay Store have been welcomed by town councillors.

Owner Trevor Osborne has applied for a change of use and extension to form a wine bar and residential flat out of the building in Mount Pleasant Road. Mr

Osborne was already granted permission, back in 2012, to form a wine bar and build a pergola, which now houses markets that successfully trade throughout the season.

The wine bar remains pending, however, and last Thursday Jo Booker, business manager for the Osborne Group, spoke to town councillors about the latest plan.

This is to create a one bedroom residential flat in the roof void, so that anyone taking on the business below could live on site. This second floor conversion would require a new dormer and single storey extension on Harbour View Road, which the proposed dormer to match the height of existing one.

Ms Booker said the company currently had no tenant in mind for the building and would be “more than happy” to consider a commercial tenant in there. It did not necessarily have to be used as a wine bar.

She said the building required “significant investment” to bring it back into use and told councillors it had been “vacant more than occupied” over the last 35 years.

“The harbour and dock company have tried to maintain and keep it tidy but it is now somewhat disfiguring that side of the harbour and detracts from the recent improvements,” she added.

Councillors agreed to support the planning application, on condition that there was no encroachment into the road.