Custom House, Office Wharf Road, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4AA

Planning appeal 3344427 at Custom House, Office Wharf Road, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4AA (Cornwall Council) was dismissed on 28 January 2025 by Inspector Griffiths P, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the works on the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building, and whether they preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area.

‘the conversion of first floor from commercial office space to domestic and conversion of ground floor to office space, and external works’

Authority: Cornwall Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Griffiths P
Postcode: TR18 4AA

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the works on the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building, and whether they preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area
Whether the residential accommodation proposed would provide a reasonable living environment for its occupiers

What decided it

The harm to the listed building's special architectural and historic interest caused by the disproportionately large balcony and external staircase, combined with the failure to provide reasonable living conditions for residential occupiers, outweighed the public benefit of providing one additional dwelling.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy 12Policy 24
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 135

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.

Appeals plan, £15 a month

With an account

What an account adds to this decision

41 other decided appeals within two kilometres of this site. In the app every dot opens its decision, and its letter wherever one was published, and you can draw your own site to see what has been decided around it.AllowedDismissedSplitThis decision

An appeal decision in the app, with the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out beside the letter — Every letter, there to read. We pick out the main issues, the policies and the judgments cited, so you can work through the letter faster.

Searching the full text of appeal decision letters in the app — Search inside every letter. By words or by meaning, filtered by authority, outcome, appeal type and procedure, with every locatable decision on the map and the Inspector named on each.

Start your free trial

More decisions in Cornwall

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

Dismissed18 March 20253349951
Land West of Knot Shore, Restronguet Passage, Mylor, Cornwall, TR11 5ST
Allowed16 May 20223280012
Trenerth Farm, Devoral Road, Fraddam, TR27 5EP
Allowed10 February 20223266153
Land South of The Old Stables, Rescorla, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 8YT
Dismissed29 October 20266011753
London Inn Apartments, 34 Fore Street, Redruth, TR15 2AE
Dismissed29 October 20266008546
Land South of 51 Polisken Way, Polisken Way, St Erme, TR4 9RG

The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.