Lifesaving club building approval 'huge milestone'

A surf lifesaving club has described getting planning permission for a new building as a "huge milestone".

Porthtowan Surf Lifesaving Club previously applied to Cornwall Council to demolish the clubhouse at West Beach Road and replace it with a modular building.

The replacement building is being supported by the Making Space for Sand project, funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs as part of the £200m Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, managed by the Environment Agency.

The club said it would create "modern, resilient lifesaving facilities", providing a new home for club activities and supporting the RNLI lifeguard service for "generations to come".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported the club said the building would be modular which would enable it to be moved in the future.

This would "provide resilience against our changing climate and predicted sea level rise," the club said.

The club's original planning application stated: "The proposed new building will be split into two modular parts, with the northern section fronting towards the beach which will contain the lifeguard operation room and training room, with an outer decking area.

"This section will be 1.3m (4.26 feet) higher than the rear area, which will be used for toilets, storage, changing facilities, equipment storage and plant room."

It added: "The raised level of the decking area and front section for the lifeguards is an essential addition as a lifesaving feature to ensure sightlines over the new dune layout which is being brought forward separate to this proposal."

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