A large number of residents, the Environment Agency and a town council are all opposed to a plan to build 56 flats near the seafront in Cornwall.

Churchill Living has applied to build the retirement homes on the site of a former Lidl store in the Wherrytown area of Penzance.

The proposal is for the comprehensive redevelopment of the vacant Lidl site off Western Promenade Road, next to the Larrigan River, with construction of a four-storey retirement housing development of 56 flats with one and two bedroom apartments and six retirement cottages, together with associated communal facilities, vehicular access, car parking for 20 vehicles and landscaping.

The Environment Agency has objected to the development on the grounds of flood risk, as did a meeting of Penzance Town Council’s planning committee last week. The council also objected due to the proposal’s scale, massing, density and height, which the committee said was “of a poor-quality design and represents a contrived form of development”.

There are 63 public comments on Cornwall Council’s planning portal, all against the proposal. They highlight a range of concerns but the majority are worried about possible flooding and the size of the development which opponents believe is unsuitable for that part of Penzance, which features a boating lake and rugby ground.

One comment said: “I question the logic of building a residential development of such scale on a site which lies within an area the Environment Agency has categorised as Flood Zone 3 – which means it is at high risk of tidal, coastal and river flooding. The surrounding local area has already been significantly flooded on many occasions over the years.

“Unfortunately, the unrelenting impact of climate change means these occurrences are expected to increase in frequency and severity. These facts don’t seem to have been reflected in the plans submitted by the developer.”

Another resident writes: “The sheer size, scale and density of the development contravenes Cornwall local policy. An extensive four-storey compound-style development would not be of an appropriate size and height… it would be overbearing and totally at odds with a number of the historic assets in the area.”

Those opposed to the plan, including members of the Sustainable PZ group, are holding a workshop at 6pm on Thursday, August 7 at the Penlee Bowling Club to consider how the site could be best used to serve the community.

A planning report by Planning Issues Ltd on behalf of Churchill Living states that all flood mitigation / avoidance measures are demonstrated within the application’s flood risk report.

The report said Churchill Living’s vision for the site is to “deliver a development that meets our customers’ needs and the local need for retirement apartments whilst also contributing to the character of the Wherrytown part of Penzance, and making a positive contribution locally in terms of socio, economic and environmental benefits.

“Our aim is to create a high quality development that embraces sustainable design, enhances the setting of the area and maintains the local vernacular.”

For more details see planning application PA25/03633 on Cornwall Council’s website – https://planning.cornwall.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=SW9B4PFGFT800