Residents and business have launched an angry backlash against plans for a new Premier Inn hotel in Falmouth town centre.

If the plans are given the green light, the five-storey, 74 bedroom hotel would be built on the privately-owned Campbeltown Way car park in the town centre.

Planners at Cornwall Council, who are set to consider the proposals in the New Year, have been deluged with more than 100 comments regarding the plans on their website.

Objections range from the effect the hotel will have on traffic and parking, to the detrimental effect it will have on other hotels and guest houses in the area.

Terry Plume, a regular visitor to the town, said: “It is totally out of keeping with the surrounding buildings and area. It will provide unfair competition to local busuinesses, will certainly not attract any new visitors and will make the current parking problems even worse with the loss of public parking facilities.”

Mrs Candida Frith-Macdonald: “Falmouth is a seaside town, characterised by a long art college history, small B&B's and bigger classic hotels, and architecture ranging from very traditional and some industrial to modern but quirky.

“The bland, characterless nature of a chain hotel, both in architecture and in its hospitality offering, could not help but have a degrading influence on the special atmosphere of the town.”

Amy James, who grew up in the town, wrote: “Growing up in Falmouth I have been unlucky enough to witness so many shops and small businesses come and go throughout the town, some only open for mere months before closing down. Is this now the fate of our bed and breakfasts and hotels?

“Once a charming and characteristic town full of life, Falmouth is becoming a generic, tacky and listless town which could only be made worse by the proposed hotel.”

Regular visitor Raymond Clark wrote: “Falmouth has sufficient available hotel/guest house accommodation and does not require a large hotel such as a Premier Inn. I have and will always use local run businesses this is the way forward in keeping somewhere such as Falmouth special.

“If allowed this will cause hardship and heartache to local entrepreneurs running guest houses who are just making ends meet in an ever degrading financial climate.”

Comments on the proposals can be submitted at http://planning.cornwall.gov.uk using reference PA11/08770. The last date for comments is tomorrow.

Out of 107 comments submitted at the time of going to press, 105 objected to the plans, with one person in favour, and one person neutral.