A proposed £5.8 million building project on a town centre car park is to be decided.

Cornwall Council is behind the planning application for Penzance, which will be decided by its own West Sub-Area Planning Committee, made up of councillors, on Monday, June 29.

A application is for a three-storey building providing studio space, designed specifically for small and medium-sized creative enterprises, at Causewayhead - resulting in the loss of 30 short-stay spaces in the car park.

However, the council has argued: "It is considered that there are ample car parking spaces available within Penzance to accommodate the reduced capacity from the removal of the 30 spaces."

Existing disabled parking spaces would be moved to the short stay car park opposite the site.

The building would be funded by the European Regional Develop Fund, with the planning application stating that such a building would create up to 42 jobs.

Cornwall Council has received 93 letters of objection from the public and 127 letters of support.

The site lies within Penzance Conservation Area, with a circa 1757 reservoir lying under the car park, now hidden by concrete capping, and it was later used as a cattle market. It is proposed to retain the ground floor walls of the former reservoir.

The council's application argues: "Apart from the historic boundary walls, the current condition of the site as a car park, finished in tarmac, does not contribute positively to the character of the conservation area.

"Although of a modern design which would be different to other buildings in the vicinity, the building has been subject to extensive negotiations with the conservation officer and the local planning authority."

It does acknowledge that the proposed development would "clearly have some impact on the setting of the Grade II Listed St Paul’s Church", which weighed against the scheme, but it claimed this was "less than substantial harm" that would be outweighed by the benefits of the proposed development in regenerating the site.

The application states that in October last year consultation was held with local artists to test the need for creative workspace within the centre of Penzance.

Many of the ideas discussed were added into the design, including workshop sizes, the need for collaborative/gallery space and an external courtyard area.