THE company behind one of the plans to redevelop the empty Marks and Spencer building in Falmouth has fallen at the first hurdle.

At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council's planning committee last night, members unanimously voted to recommend refusal for the application for the iconic building in Market Street.

Acorn Blue, the developer behind the Liner building at Gyllyngvase Beach , has lodged an application to convert the iconic building into 14 residential apartments which range from one to four bedrooms, and three retail spaces on the ground floor along with car parking on the lower ground floor level.

Falmouth Packet: Computer generated images of the proposed redevelopment from Acorn Blue

The proposal will utilise the existing building along with some remodelling and extensions.

The company has made some changes to the design following recommendations made by councillors after the company put in a pre-application.

The building will be broken up and changed into mainly residential accommodation and parking with three small retail units.

There will be a private entrance knocked through the centre of the building for the residents' cars to go through.

Councillors were unhappy that the application did not take into account the neighbourhood plan which is that there is a trial pedestrianisation taking place at the moment with vehicles not allowed entry to the town centre between 11am and 4pm . The company wanted vehicles to be able to access the site during these hours.

Vice chair of the planning committee John Spargo told the Packet after the meeting that thing that caused the councillors problems was that the proposals didn't tie in with the neighbourhood plan and the goal for that is pedestrianisation between 11 and 4.

"They came back to us using the street for access during those hours," he said. "They've got horrible shutters quite large unnecessarily large because it's a two way, five metre wide. It doesn't need to be two way it should be single. Shutters would have looked awful they could have done a design that would have been quite decorative, gates even."

Falmouth Packet:

Computer generated images of the proposed redevelopment from Acorn Blue from the waterfront

Councillors voted unanimously to refuse the application over design, parking, traffic considerations including residential parking in an area of pedestrianisation

They thought it was too heavy residential mix, but they did quite like the 4 retail units

Another plan for the site from The Pentire Group, is looking for a more community-based development.

Falmouth Packet:

Computer generated images of the proposed redevelopment from Acorn Blue

They want to provide a space for innovation and growth with different local companies and freelancers coming together in the town centre. They would be looking to showcase local chefs, local companies and freelancers as well as holding community events and developing access to the sea in partnership with Falmouth Harbour.

However they have yet to put in a planning application after initially asking for advice on the application from Cornwall Council