A library, museum or community centre are the most popular choices for how people would like to see Porthleven’s clock tower used in the future.

The results of the first public survey about the future of the Bickford Smith Institute have now been made public and they make for interesting reading.

Coming out on top were options for it to become a library/museum/heritage centre, or alternatively a community centre.

At the other end of the scale, the vast majority of people did not want to see the building become a guest house or hotel.

These were the views of visitors to an open day at the Institute last month, which saw 351 people cross the threshold despite stormy weather.

It was a chance for people to see what repairs need doing and say how they would like to see the building used, as in order to bid for grants to cover the cost of the work Porthleven Town Council needs to show it has the support of the community.

Everyone attending was asked to fill in a questionnaire, which gave a series of possible uses for the building – from heritage centre or library through to restaurant or hotel.

People were asked to number the options in order of preference, or mark with an X any that they would not like to see at all.

Results were determined by both the number preferences and also how many people said they disagreed with an idea completely.

When both factors were taken into account, the results were ordered: library/museum/heritage centre in first place, community centre in second and tourist office in third.

These were followed by a venue for weddings and functions, a snooker club (its current use), a town council office (also currently housed there), café/restaurant, place for businesses and retail market.

Least wanted were a youth hostel and guest house/hotel.

Other possibilities suggested on the day, which were not listed, included a place for music or theatre, an arts centre and a youth club.

Many of those responding agreed that the building should be refurbished so that it could allow a number of uses, for the whole community.

Porthleven Town Council, which organised the event, described it as a “huge success,” with mayor Daniel Williams thanking everyone who took the time to complete a questionnaire and give their views.

This is just the first step of the project and more consultation will now take place, to develop more detailed proposals and start looking for possible funding.

Deputy mayor Barbara Powell said: “Despite the good turnout we really want to make sure that everyone in Porthleven has a chance to put forward their views. We know that a number of people were not able to attend on the day and we value their input.

“We will therefore be using the results of this first stage to develop a second consultation which will be more widely available over a number of days. This will enable us to develop ideas for the Institute in much more detail and include some of the other suggestions which were put forward in this first exercise.”