CORNWALL Council has received a request for pre-application advice regarding a plan to change The Snooty Fox former pub and bed and breakfast building at Morval, near Looe, into self-contained flats for the open market.

Agent Paul & Papworth, acting for applicants Mr and Mrs Ridley, owners of The Snooty Fox, say that the existing building was for many years a public house with some overnight accommodation and large restaurant areas plus a commercial kitchen.

The applicants say that following closure of the pub, the building has been used as a combination of owners’ accommodation on the first floor of two flats, and then six lettable rooms in other areas of the building, while leaving some common areas as unused spaces.

The agents add that while their clients have found there is no interest in bed and breakfast accommodation except for in the summer months, they have received several requests from people wanting permanent accommodation in self-contained flats due to a shortage of available flats locally. They have so far been unable to oblige but would now like to adapt the building to provide permanent accommodation and meet local housing needs.

The proposed planning application is therefore to alter the existing building so that owners’ flats are retained on the first floor, and then to extend or alter the existing bed and breakfast units to form self-contained flats that can be put on the open market.

The proposal is to adapt the existing internal spaces in the building and alter the rooms to create nine flats, while retaining the existing outward appearance of the building, which has a rendered finish under a tiled roof and with white PVCu double-glazed windows.

The planning details can be viewed on the Cornwall Council planning portal under ref PA21/01131/PREAPP.