Plans to develop condemned landslip risk house

Developers want to build a modern four-bedroom home

Planning advice is being sought to potentially develop a house condemned by Cornwall Council following a landslip three years ago.

Tremayne House is a well-known property beside the East Looe River, sandwiched between railway line and the A387 just outside Looe.

The owners are seeking pre-application planning advice to discover what is possible at the site.

It's estimated it would cost more than £1m to repair the existing building, so the plan is to demolish it and build a modern, four-bedroom home.

Tremayne House is a well-known local landmark but has been empty for years

The council condemned the property after a landslip in 2021 and measures to secure the hillside feature in the design plan.

It aims to ensure the existing road, access path, trees and railway line are protected from further landslips over the next 10 years.

The planning statement says: “Our proposal outlines the opportunity to dovetail such safety measures into a new scheme for an environmentally friendly, highly energy efficient home that will sympathetically encompass the immediate ecological needs and building regulation requirements that will ensure the longevity of this important water fronting site.”

Looe has seen a number of landslips in recent years - in 2013 Susan Norman, 68, died after a landslide engulfed her home.

In February this year heavy rain triggered a fall of tonnes of soil and rock that forced Polperro Road to be closed.