Owners of a Falmouth guest house have been told they can turn it into a residential home in what has been described as a "finely balanced" decision.

Cornwall Council granted Rosemary Riddette-Gregory change of use for Wellington Guesthouse on Melvill Road, allowing the withdrawal of a 1998 policy preventing hotels in Falmouth’s prime seafront area from being used as residential houses.

Planning officer Mark Ball described the matter as "finely balanced" and considered local opinion in his decision, with both the town council and Cornwall Council division member supporting it.

He said: "The main area that tips in favour of this development is that it results in the loss of a small number of bedrooms

overall."

The owners' stating they would have no problem filling the rooms to a higher occupancy if they were in better health had weighed against them, he added, as it suggested it could be profitable with new, younger owns.

Mrs Riddette-Gregory had argued that the policy was outdated since the rise of Airbnb.