Cornwall Council has given the green light to plans to turn a family home in Penryn into a house of multiple occupancy for students.

The council's central sub area planning committee gave its approval for revised plans to turn the house at 15 Green Lane into accommodation for seven students, which followed an earlier proposal which could have allowed up to 15 people to stay at the property.

The application had been called to the committee by Mary May, Cornwall Councillor for Penryn, because it was felt that the loss of a large family home could harm the character of the residential area, with the potential for noise from a student house being unneighbourly. Councillor John Langan of Penryn Town Council also spoke at the meeting against the development.

Committee members debated several points, including unneighbourliness and the fact that residents thought the current situation with student occupants was "just about acceptable," balanced with the necessity of providing students housing, and a lack of grounds for refusal.

Mrs May proposed to the committee that permission be refused, but the motion was lost by seven votes to six with one abstention, and a proposal by the committee chairman Fred Greenslade to approve it was passed by the same margin.

The reasons given for approval included that the compromise scheme "addressed the concerns raised whilst attempting to maximise the use of this vacant dwelling," and was in a location which would "reduce dependency" on private car use.

The revised plans include the provision of parking for four cars, which is to be finished before other work on site can start, as well as four bikes.

A ground floor extension will be built to create a living room, allowing the rest of the property to be converted into seven single bedrooms, including two en suite.