Block Management in Falmouth
Falmouth restricts sharing, not second homes, and the TR11 3QA square is in radon band 6.
For Falmouth block management we act as managing agent to residents' management companies, RTM companies and freeholders as part of our Cornwall block management, covering block, estate and leasehold management from our Plymouth head office 67 miles away.
An HMO Article 4 in force since June 2017, backed by neighbourhood plan policy HMO1, shapes how subletting requests are handled. The TR11 3QA square is radon band 6, and Arwenack ward is 43.6 per cent flats or converted buildings.
Proposals are for developments of 50 or more units. Smaller building? Talk to our team.
A Small HMO Now Needs Planning Permission
Falmouth has an HMO Article 4 direction, made at the town council's request and in force from June 2017. It removes the right to change a C3 dwellinghouse into a C4 small house in multiple occupation without planning permission, irrespective of the number of storeys. The evidence behind it named the concentrations: Marlborough Road, Trelawney Road, Budock Terrace, Albany Road, Killigrew Street, Trevethan Road, Wood Lane, Old Hill, New Street and Lister Street. For a block, any request to let a flat as a small HMO needs planning permission before lease consent is considered.
Subletting Screens, Radon and Roofs Near the Centre
Screen Subletting Requests Against HMO Rules
The Article 4 direction from June 2017 removes the right to change a dwellinghouse into a C4 small HMO without permission, and policy HMO1 refuses such changes. We would check any subletting or alteration request against both before granting lease consent.
ConsentsMeasure Radon in Lower-Ground Spaces
The TR11 3QA square is band 6, where more than 30 per cent of homes are estimated to reach the action level, and 7.6 per cent of households are in converted or shared houses. We would recommend measuring enclosed lower-ground communal areas.
CompliancePlan Roof Works with DG11 in Mind
Policy DG11 requires a visual impact assessment or agreed photomontages for anything rising significantly above the surrounding average roof height. We would build that into any Section 20 scheme involving roof plant or additions.
Major works and Section 20Confirm Listing Near the Centre
151 listed buildings, seven of them Grade II*, sit within 500 metres of the town centre, which lies in a conservation area designated in January 1969. We would confirm a block's status and obtain consents before specifying external works.
ConsentsCornwall Council, a Harbour Frontage and Band 6 Radon
- Local authority
- Cornwall Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- Cornwall Council Building Control
- County
- Cornwall
- Fire and rescue service
- Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 67 miles by road
- Setting
- Coastal
Page last updated . Sources: ONS Census 2021, accommodation type (TS044); Environment Agency long term flood risk; Environment Agency flood map for planning; Historic England, National Heritage List for England; UKHSA UK radon map.
Arwenack Ward Is 43.6 Per Cent Flats
Falmouth is unusually block-heavy for Cornwall. At the 2021 Census the Arwenack ward was 43.6 per cent flats or converted buildings and Penwerris 30.0 per cent, against a county figure of 12.8 per cent. The Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey traces the character to a scatter of large 18th and 19th century houses and their grounds, later subdivided. For a converted house, fire separation and the extent of each demise need checking at handover.
What Falmouth Boards Pay to Switch to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See how our block management fees work and what changing your managing agent involves.
ARMA ACE Awards 2022, Managing Agent of the Year (1,000 to 5,000 units). ISO 9001:2015 certified. Member of The Property Ombudsman. Google reviews.
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Flood Risk Sits on the Harbour Frontage
Flood risk in Falmouth is concentrated on the harbour frontage rather than across the centre. Environment Agency Flood Zone 3 is absent from the immediate town centre and becomes more frequent towards the waterside. For a block near the centre the picture is modest, while a block closer to the harbour frontage needs its flood zone checked for insurance.
Seven Grade II* Buildings Within 500 Metres of the Centre
The Falmouth conservation area was designated in January 1969 and covers the town centre. Penryn and Flushing carry their own separate designations. For a block in the town centre, external alterations such as windows, roofs and frontages fall under conservation area control.
151 listed buildings sit within 500 metres of the town centre, including seven Grade II*. For a block near the centre, listed status should be confirmed and consent obtained before external works are specified.
The TR11 3QA Square Is in Band 6 of 6
The square around postcode TR11 3QA is in band 6 of 6, where more than 30 per cent of homes are estimated to reach the action level. That matters for blocks because 7.6 per cent of Falmouth households are in converted or shared houses, and a subdivided building may have enclosed lower-ground space that has never been measured.
Policy HMO1 Refuses HMO Change of Use Outright
Falmouth's neighbourhood plan, made in October 2021, goes further than the direction. Policy HMO1 refuses change of use from a dwellinghouse to a small HMO, to a mixed use, or to a large HMO outright. It also refuses new purpose built student accommodation beyond what is already committed, and conversion of hotels or residential institutions to student accommodation.
The plan has no principal residence requirement, so Falmouth restricts sharing and not second ownership. Policy DG11 requires a visual impact assessment or agreed photomontages for anything rising significantly above the average roof height around it. For a block, that affects both subletting consents and any roof plant or addition proposed in major works.
Falmouth Blocks in the Tribunal Record
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| The Spinnakers, Hillside Road | Section 20 consultation | 29 May 2026 |
| 1 to 4 Elgin Close | Right to manage | 11 January 2022 |
From Falmouth to the Cornish Blocks We Manage
- Rialto Court, St Austell, about 18 miles away in a straight line.
- Polmear Apartments, St Austell, about 18 miles away in a straight line.
- Brunel Mews, Saltash, about 42 miles away in a straight line.
Falmouth and the Creek Villages, Mylor to Flushing
Mylor, Flushing, Mabe, Constantine, Budock Water.
Services for Falmouth's Harbour and Student Streets
Falmouth Questions on HMOs and Student Lets
Can a Leaseholder in Falmouth Let Their Flat as a Small HMO?
Not without planning permission. The Article 4 direction in force since June 2017 removes the right to change a C3 dwellinghouse into a C4 small HMO, irrespective of the number of storeys. Neighbourhood plan policy HMO1 then refuses change of use to a small HMO, a mixed use or a large HMO outright, so any lease consent request should be read against both.
Does Falmouth Have a Principal Residence Requirement for New Homes?
No. Falmouth restricts sharing rather than second ownership: it has an HMO Article 4 and a refusal policy, but its neighbourhood plan, made in October 2021 and part of the statutory development plan, has no principal residence requirement. The plan also refuses new purpose built student accommodation beyond what is already committed.
Where Does Flood Risk Sit in Falmouth?
On the harbour frontage rather than across the centre. Environment Agency Flood Zone 3 is absent from the immediate town centre and becomes more frequent towards the waterside. For a block near the centre that is a modest picture, while a block closer to the harbour frontage would warrant a closer check of its flood zone status before insurance is placed.
Around the Fal Estuary
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