New plans to build a 165-unit retirement village at a golf course and hotel resort have been given support by a parish council.

The outline proposals are for St Mellion Estate Hotel and Golf Resort. Crown Golf Property, which owns the resort, wants to build the retirement village to include a nursing homes, apartments and houses complete with a doctors’ surgery, pharmacy and Post Office.

The plans also include a family leisure complex with 25-metre swimming pool, children’s playground, glamping pods and a new golf driving range.

Under the plans the new developments would join the existing 80-bed hotel, health and fitness gym, two championship 18-hole golf courses, conference event space, wedding venue and 28 holiday cottages on site.

Earlier this year Crown Golf gained planning permission to build to build 230 holiday lodges, a new wedding venue, kids club, farm shop and children’s adventure golf complex.

They now describe this as a “pyrrhic victory” given what they say is the seismic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the leisure sector.

Crown Golf say they now need to move still further from their original position as a provider of golf-centred holidays – with the take up of holiday lodges likely to be affected dramatically by the pandemic, they now want to replace a significant proportion of the planned lodges with retirement homes.

St Mellion Parish Council voted at an extraordinary meeting via zoom to support the new planning application.

In their statement to Cornwall Council’s planning department, the Parish Council said: “This is an improvement on the plan for holiday lodges, there is a clear need for additional housing for the elderly, which this plan addresses. It is clear that this application represents a more practical use of the space. The Golf Club must remain viable and this plan would help to ensure that.”

Parking, traffic access and highways safety were among the chief concerns raised by the public and councillors, said the Council, and it asked the developer whether the facilities could cope with the increased number of vehicle movements.

Jason Mills, CEO of Crown Golf Property, said: “We are delighted that St Mellion Parish Council continues to support the St Mellion Estate. The unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on all hospitality businesses underlines the need to evolve and adapt.

“As a major local employer, our response is to take steps to make St Mellion Estate attractive to people who are not just golfers, including couples, the family staycation and retirement markets. To do this, we must offer a wider range of accommodation options and new facilities.

“Our application, if approved, is good news in these difficult times. It should create 100 new jobs, and provide important new services for the local community. Subject to planning approval being granted, we expect to start work on this exciting project in the first half of next year.”

To view the plans visit Cornwall Council’s planning webpage and use the reference PA20/06163