AN application to withdraw 24 hour on-site cover at a controversial student block in Falmouth has been withdrawn at the last minute after overwhelming public opposition.
Apartments for Falmouth, based in London, had applied to vary condition 4(b) of the original appeal decision to allow 24 hour cover be provided by a call centre elsewhere in the country rather than staff in the block at the former Rosslyn Hotel site.
The controversial 117 bed student accommodation block currently being built in Trescobeas Road, was allowed on appeal despite overwhelming public opposition and both town and county councils.
The block is currently under construction
The 24 hour on site management was a condition which the Government Inspector insisted upon when planning permission was granted.
But soon after the appeal was allowed the company applied to change the cover to be monitored by a 24 hour call centre run by CRM students.
The company said in its application that managing multiple sites across the UK, 24/7 static security is very rare "Instead the vast majority of our schemes are successfully managed out of hours by our 24/7/365 national call centre" with off site security teams.
The block is currently under construction
But people living nearby, including 93-year-old Hilda Barnett who lives in Tresco Place, strongly opposed the application. In her objection to the appeal she said: "I strongly object to the variation of the original planning application to waive 24 hour on site management.
"I am a 93-year-old widow living close to the development. I am not up to dealing with any issues that may arise at the development due to no on site management."
The block is currently under construction
Meanwhile Mr Robert Black said in his submission: "I object to this completely, living just one street away from the development we would become the defacto night wardens having to report noise or anti-social behaviour to a distant phone number with no response time guarantees or even likelihood of a local response."
Overall there were 21 public objections to the application.
Cornwall Councillor David Saunby told the Packet: "Planning conditions are put in place when planning applications are approved, and in my view must be adhered to, which in some cases are totally ignored by the developer, or try to change them at a later date."
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