PLANS to demolish “mostly vacant” commercial units close to the town centre and build nine homes in their place have been given the backing of Liskeard Town Council.

The Liskeard Enterprise Centre, off Station Road, is described as a brownfield site with poor quality units constructed in the 1940s. One unit is occupied, but the remainder have been mostly unused since 2007, says agent Laurence Associates, acting on behalf of applicant Jonathan Rowe.

The site itself sits next to existing residential property at Victoria Court, Pavlova Court and Station Road, and while in an area susceptible to ground water flooding, is in a generally low-risk flood area.

Mr Rowe proposes to build three two-bedroom homes, two homes with three bedrooms and four further three-storey homes, also with three bedrooms, on the site. Each of the homes would have parking and private outdoor space, and existing vehicular access off Station Road would be used. The agent states: “The proposal offers the opportunity for the regeneration of a sustainably located, brownfield site into a high-quality housing development.”

The Neighbourhood Development Plan, says the agent, “encourages sustainably located proposals that use previously developed land and buildings, provided that they are not of high environmental or historic value”.

The scheme would contribute to fulfilling Liskeard’s housing target up to 2030 which the agent claims is currently running at a shortfall of 171 houses. It’s argued by the applicant that although there is a good demand for studio and workshop space in Liskeard, the loss of this commercial land would not have a detrimental impact on the town, as “there are far better modern standards among the schemes coming forward at Charter Way, Tencreek and Twelvewoods (Dobwalls)”.

A residential use of the site would also be better for the surrounding neighbours than any new industrial or commercial use, he says.

Liskeard Town Council’s planning committee resolved to support the outline planning application, which can be found online by visiting Cornwall Council’s planning register and using the reference PA22/00483.

Planning committee chairman Cllr Naomi Taylor said: “This application was supported by the committee, as it meets with the brownfield land first policy in the Liskeard Neighbourhood Plan.”