Falmouth Wetherspoons beer garden plan rejected on appeal

If the plans went ahead, the rooftop on the art-deco building on The Moor would have been converted to an outdoor seating area with a capacity of 174.

The application was first made in July 2017, and refused in January this year because of noise and conservation issues.

JD Wetherspoon appealed against the decision in March, and the appeal has now been dismissed for the same reasons despite backing from Falmouth Town Council.

Falmouth Town Council recommended the plans for approval in September 2017

Government-appointed inspector John Wilde, who visited the site and eventually dismissed the appeal, said: "I cannot accept that local residents would not be subjected to a significant adverse effect from the noise produced, even with the proposed screening in place."

There were concerns in particular from residents of the nearby Mount Edgcumbe Villas, which lie in between the pub and Quarry Hill.

Oenone Hague, a resident of Mount Edgcumbe Villas, wrote to the planning inspectorate and said: "It really would be invasive and it will ruin my property, where I have lived for nearly 30 years."

The rooftop beer garden would have had a capacity of 174

Another resident, Julie Evans, raised concerns about the amount of noise that would be generated by people using the beer garden and an extractor fan that would have been built at the back of the building, facing her property.

Not everyone was against the plans, however. Mr JB Lukey commented on the application, saying "the above application is on my boundary and I raise no objection. It would appear a good use of the roof area and looks well thought out," although he did anticipate possible issues from the noise of the extractor fan and live music.

Planning inspector John Wilde also had concerns about"whether or not the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Falmouth Conservation Area."