An application to turn a garage into holiday let before it has even finished being built will set 'a very bad precedent' according to Falmouth Civic Society.

The owner of 28 Grovehill Crescent, Falmouth, Mr Jonathan Nesbitt, was only recently granted permission to build a garage in the front garden of his home but has now applied to use the approved garage as additional living accommodation and holiday let including changes to the approved doors and windows.

Objecting to the application on Cornwall Council's online planning portal, Falmouth Civic Society said the proposal set a "really bad" precedent.

"To apply for and get planning permission for a largely 'uncontroversial garage' and immediately seek to turn it into residential opens the door to others to try that trick," they said. "The planning conditions were quite clear, that it should be a garage. The proposal also depends on accommodating parking by some on-street parking.

"Grovehill Crescent is a bus lane, and already the on-street parking causes considerable problems, reducing the space to a single carriageway. There is also no precedent in the area for a separate dwelling to be built in a front garden, so it is out of character with the area."

Neighbours have also objected to the application claiming the garage is already an eyesore and totally totally out of character with the surrounding environment and saying parking issues in the road already causes problems for the local bus route, the re-cycling lorries, refuse collection and even emergency services.

"If approved this would set a precedent for neighbouring properties to also build a holiday annexe and it will invite unknown visitors which could potentially create a noisy environment which would totally unfair to the local elderly residents."

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The agent for Mr Nesbitt, Laurence Associates based in Truro, says the application is consistent with both adopted, local planning policies and would be clearly consistent with the thrust of NPPF policy.

"The proposal would result in additional accommodation to the host dwelling along with the opportunity as a holiday letting unit within a highly sustainable location, on previously developed land."

They add: "The proposals would make a positive contribution to the local, tourist economy whilst also providing an additional income stream for the applicant and his family. From a social dimension, the proposals would result in a contribution towards the area’s housing stock and there would be no harm to the environmental because of the development."