A RECENTLY closed hotel could have part of its building transformed into up to nine flats if an application to Cornwall Council is successful.

Lexgreen Services Limited have submitted a ‘permission in principle’ application seeking to turn part of the 23-bed former Kerenza Hotel, on Flexbury Avenue into a development of ‘eight or nine flats’.

A permission in principle is not in itself a finalised plan submitted to Cornwall Council, but rather if granted identifies the principle that permission would be granted for a full scheme as described in the proposals. In this instance, the permission in principle that is the subject of the application is for the conversion of the block for of up to nine dwellings, comprising a minimum of eight and a maximum of nine.

If permission in principle is successful, it could then form the subject of a full planning application at a later date as a permission in principle approval indicates that the precedent for approving planning at that location has been established as per the approval.

The former hotel was recently put on the market by Vickery Holman and Watlings on behalf of the joint fixed charge receivers for the business for £950,000 and while this planning application was submitted on May 29, at the time of going to press the hotel appears to still be for sale.

The Kerenza Hotel is described as having 23 en-suite letting bedrooms, a lounge and cocktail bar, a formal restaurant and a customer terrace for outdoor dining in addition to a car park and two-bedroom owner’s maisonette.

Planning permission was granted in 2023 for the placing of an additional floor to a modern room block extension in order to expand the capacity of the venue by six bedrooms and install a customer lift.

The sale listing added that the extant planning permission would be “offering significant potential to expand the commercial footprint.

“Recently closed, the hotel is in good order throughout and may also lend itself to alternative residential or mixed-use redevelopment, subject to the necessary consents.”

The applicant, Lexgreen Services Limited told Cornwall Council in their application form when describing their plans: “The land forms part of the Kerenza Hotel which has now ceased trading. The portion of the site subject to this application is currently occupied by a room block that adjoins the main hotel building which contains a restaurant and reception etc.

“The room block on the site is a more modern addition to the main hotel building and has little architectural merit. There is extant planning permission in place to add an additional floor to this room block which was approved under the application PA22/10287 that was granted on April 25, 2023.”

The plans are currently being considered by Cornwall Council and can be followed using reference PA25/03679.

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