People who apply for retrospective planning permission have come under fire from Falmouth councillors, who believe action should be taken against those who do it despite nothing that can currently be done to stop it.

The issue was raised when the town’s planning committee was presented with an application from local firefighter Martyn Addinall who is seeking consent to retain a detached garage at Penance Mill Cottage near Maenporth as ancillary accommodation and a holiday let.

Permission was previously granted to use the garage as ancillary accommodation while work was carried out on the main cottage. Mr and Mrs Addinall now want to continue that use permanently.

A member of the public attended the meeting and urged councillors to refuse the application claiming the couple have shown a “complete disregard” of planning law and that if approved it would set a “worrying precedent” in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Councillor Steve Eva said: “It annoys me more than anything when people come through the back door to get what they want, but this is the planning application before you and I cannot see how we can turn it down.

“We are not here to judge what people do or don’t do, we are here to judge planning law. I don’t think that one person changing a garage into a holiday let is going to upset the area – I cannot see anything wrong with it.”

Chairman of the committee, Councillor Grenville Chappel, added: “It is disgusting (retrospective applications) and it should never happen – there should be a huge fine for those who do it.”

The committee agreed, however, that as Cornwall Council accepts retrospective applications it had no reason to oppose the Addinall’s plans and so offered no objections.