A “well-established” Falmouth hotel wants to turn its current gym into four new rooms and build a new extension with six new rooms, two with a decked viewing area.

Merchant’s Manor on Western Terrace has put in application to convert its ground floor gym to four letting rooms and for the construction of six more rooms within a proposed first and second floor extension.

Two rooms will be on the second floor with a decked viewing area contained by a balustrade.

In the application the hotel says: “The proposal offers a high quality scheme contributing new letting rooms to the existing accommodation at Merchant’s Manor which would enhance the offering of the existing building.”

The new extension would incorporate timber and metal cladding.

“Great care has been given to design a scheme which works with the existing built features in order to create a high quality design,” says the application.

It adds: “The proposal provides for the extension of a successful tourism business. This proposal would allow for additional guests to stay at the facility which is already a well-established hotel and spa within Falmouth which is a key tourist destination in Cornwall.

“This proposal will allow for the expansion of the business with as knock-on effect on the wider community given the increase in expenditure in the local area by guests at Merchant’s Manor.”

It says the design of the proposed additional letting rooms responds to the “unique historic character” of the setting and would result in a “sympathetically” designed structure which would sit well against the building as an extension of the existing hotel.

“The design of the additional units does not seek to provide a grandiose development, but one that responds to its setting and does not detract from the surrounding heritage assets,” it says.

The full application can be found on the Cornwall Council website planning portal under reference PA23_05550