A GARAGE with an office annexed to it could be demolished to make way for between six and nine apartments if permission in principle is granted by Cornwall Council.

Mr McAuley has applied to the local authority seeking permission to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with between six and nine apartments on land to the north of 95 Fore Street, Bodmin.

In addition to the apartments, there would be five parking spaces, bicycle parking spaces and provision for the storage of refuse.

Historically, there had been a two-storey stone building in situ at the rear of the building, which had been demolished to make way for the office and garage.

The architect of the proposal, the award-winning local business ARCO2, plans to reuse as much of the building being demolished as possible for re-use and recycling where appropriate, with any natural stone found to be used to construct new areas of the wall garden to keep the location congruent with the buildings around it.

In the accompanying application form, the site was described as: “Existing site used by 95 Fore Street contains a garage for parking vehicles with an office side-annex called 'The Workshop'. There is external tarmac parking space for approximately three cars and open garden area. This land north of 95 Fore Street is accessed via an existing driveway off Fore Street that provides vehicle and pedestrian access.”

They added: “This planning proposal involves the demolition of a flat-roof concrete blockwork garage with side-annex office space and surrounding tarmac hard-standing. The construction of six new apartments is over two storeys, with five associated parking spaces and space for bike and refuse storage. The two-bedroom apartments are within three building elements; two are connected by a stair and the third stands alone. The scale of each building element addresses the scale of existing buildings within the local area and breaks up the massing of this development.

“The new buildings will have a green roof to provide a sustainable ecosystem, adding to the ecology of the urban Bodmin environment. The new architectural materials will be sympathetic to the local vernacular. The entrance to the plot is via an existing opening in the street façade. This will lead into the landscaped ‘access courtyard’ leading to the apartments, and parking spaces for cars and bikes.

“The development has been designed with consideration for environmental sustainability and local catchment sensitivity, particularly in relation to phosphate discharge. Measures will be implemented to ensure responsible nutrient management. External surfaces should be permeable with SuDS features to manage surface water sustainably and to protect local water quality. This development will aim to support nutrient neutrality by ensuring that all foul water is treated in a regulated facility with no on-site discharge. The proposed landscaping and permeable surfaces will ensure that there will be no negative impact on surface water run-off or local ecology.”

The plans are being considered by Cornwall Council under reference PA25/03335.