PLANS to build a nine-bedroom ‘motel’ at a village pub have been given the go-ahead.

The new holiday accommodation will be created at the Manor House Inn in Rilla Mill, and has been supported by the parish council.

Cornwall Council’s Historic Environment Service had warned of the visual impact of the ‘long line of buildings’ within the conservation area which the addition of the motel would create. It said that the proposed design was not acceptable and that two separate blocks of three units would be more desirable, as this would appear more like two houses within the landscape.

Having noted this concern, planning officer James Hills said that the block would be set at a low level and would not generate unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area. Timber was to be used to finish the buildings rather than the composite material originally planned, he added.

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In a report published online, Mr Hills said that the motel units were required to assist in the ‘longer-term viability of the public house’.