PLANS to make an historic property more accessible have gone before Cornwall Council.

Better parking, a changing places toilet, and provision for mobility scooters are part of the proposals for Cotehele in the Tamar Valley.

Managers at the property have recognized that the current facilities are not adequate for people with disabilities. The car parking area for seven vehicles does not meet the minimum provision, is steeply sloping, and people then have to navigate steeply sloping terrain to access other parts of the site.

The new plan would see the existing upper terrace area of parking reprofiled to allow for 12 accessible parking bays.

A survey carried out at Cotehele identified that as well as issues with parking, there were also ‘difficulties and barriers’ with access to the reception, toilet block, shop and gallery.

The planning application includes new paving designed to make this access easier.

A new building to provide storage and charging facilities for five Tramper mobility scooters is planned, something the National Trust says it recognises as ‘key to providing equal opportunities for people to enjoy the wider estate’.

The current toilet block will be reconfigured to make the existing disabled loos more accessible, and a Changing Places facility is to be installed.