'Argy bargy' over access to student house in Falmouth

Residents of Ashfield Villas were against a proposal to build a new house in the grounds of a neighbouring student dwelling, due to concerns about vehicles accessing their road.

David Hemlock owns 130 Dracaena Avenue and is landlord to seven Falmouth University students who currently live there. He applied to Cornwall Council to knock down a garage extension at the rear of the property and build a two-storey two-bedroom house, which he’d move into with his wife.

Falmouth Town Council objected citing overdevelopment. A number of neighbouring residents wrote to Cornwall Council’s planning department concerned about access from the site on to Ashfield Villas, after a dividing wall was demolished by a previous resident, resulting in so-called "argy bargy" according to one local councillor.

There was also disquiet about the proposed new property being used to house more students, with some residents complaining about noise. However, it was made clear the proposed new house would not be occupied by students during discussion at the central area planning committee meeting in Truro on Tuesday (August 27), where planning officer Mark Ball recommended approval.

He argued the new build would not be overdevelopment of the site or lead to harm to the character of the area.

Mr Ball said the scheme had been redesigned to ensure the roof of the new building would slope away from neighbouring properties on Ashfield Road and Ashfield Villas, with a slight reduction in height following concerns about the original proposals being overbearing.

Where the new property would be built at the rear of a student house on Dracaena Avenue, Falmouth (Pic: Cornwall Council / Google Earth)

Gareth Ellis, architect and agent for the applicant, stressed the new property was not an extension to the student house and would be an “attractive addition” to the street. He refuted the town council’s concerns about the application amounting to overdevelopment, adding that the removal of the extension would actually reduce the occupancy of the student house by one person.

Mr Ellis said benefits included the landlord of the student house living on site, meaning the student house would be easier to manage with a reduced number of residents, and students would no longer use Ashfield Villas as a cut-through at the rear of the property. “This is one less house needed to be built on greenfield land,” he added.

Local councillor David Saunby said: “I fully understand the town council’s recommendation to refuse this application on overdevelopment, which is shared by some or all of the residents of Ashfield Villas.

"I also believe that the residents of Ashfield Villas, along with myself, are totally against any vehicular access to Ashfield Villas, which is a very quiet cul-de-sac, when there is ample room for access to the rear of 130 Dracaena Avenue once the garage has been demolished.”

Committee chairman Cllr Alan Jewell said the only concern he had was with the rear access, which he said was a civil matter rather than a planning consideration. He said there has been a “lot of argy bargy” on Ashfield Villas after a dividing wall was removed by a previous occupant.

The application was approved by ten votes in favour with one abstention.