Additional reporting - Lee Trewhela (LDRS)

A prominent part of the Looe landscape is under threat of demolition after a pre-application advice enquiry was submitted to Cornwall Council.

The 18th century Polvellan Manor at The Millpool, West Looe, which overlooks the town’s Millpool car park, was originally developed in the 1780s at the confluence of the East and West Looe rivers and is constructed on a level terrace cut into the rising ground. Its demolition would result in the construction of five houses.

Originally a family residence, the property has had several uses since the early 1900s including a maternity hospital in the Second World War, a hotel and a school. The most recent use was as a care home which is understood to have ended in 1995, since then the building has been unoccupied and lies in an abandoned, derelict state.

There was a previous attempt to redevelop the site in 2021 which included conversion of the building to six apartments and the building of 19 new build apartments within the extended grounds. The application was withdrawn.

Pre-application advice was recently sought for the substantial demolition (retained front and side façade only) and rebuilding of the existing manor house to form apartments and the erection approximately 17 houses within the extended grounds of the property.

The advice provided in October 2023 confirmed that there was local policy support for sensitive re-development of the site but concluded that proposed dwellings within the extended grounds would not be supported due to impact on trees and the wooded character of the site.

In their latest pre-advice enquiry application, available under planning reference PA24/01046, the applicants said: “Polvellan Manor is considered important to the history of Looe, and is located in a Conservation Area. Whilst local history is important, the building is evidently derelict and vandalised, unattractive and has been an eyesore for decades. Various schemes have been proposed to redevelop the property, which appear to have been steered by the subjective sentiment and direction to conserve, retain and improve what is regarded as a heritage asset, albeit one that has not been recognised for Listed Status due to the extent of alterations, extensions and changes of use which have resulted in the loss of the majority of the original internal features.

“None of the proposed schemes to conserve, refurbish and improve the existing building have resulted in redevelopment of the site. It is a reasonable conclusion that these schemes foundered due to financial considerations.

“To renovate the property, extensive and considerable works would be required. This would need to include the complete stripping out of the building fabric, finishes and services, drying out, consolidation, treatment and remedial works to external and internal walls and supporting beams and lintels, replacement of suspended timber floors, overhauling of the complex roof structures, replacement of fenestration, replacement of the building fabric, finishes, fixtures and fittings, and complete renewal of building services together with challenging measures to improve thermal performance. This would need to include alterations to suit the intended use, constrained by the existing footprint and layout of the building.

“Renovation and improvement of Polvellan Manor would be possible, but this would be at a cost that will not be viable commercially due to the evident scale and extent of works, and the constraints involved in making the existing building suitable for use.

“Demolition and sensitive redevelopment of the site to serve local needs using current construction materials and techniques to a sustainable high-performance standard is a more rational and pragmatic approach, with due regard to the setting in a Conservation Area and woodland. It is entirely foreseeable that if such an approach is not adopted, the property will simply remain in its current derelict condition to the continuing detriment and detraction of the environs.”