Big changes at Paul Ainsworth hotel planned
The plans for The St Enodoc Hotel are among the latest applications submitted to Cornwall Council
Plans to breathe new life into an established hotel, 37 affordable homes and new sheltered housing are among the latest applications submitted to Cornwall Council.
All planning applications submitted to Cornwall Council have to be validated and are available for inspection by the public. Anyone is also allowed to submit comments about the applications – whether in support or objection.
The majority of applications are decided by planning officers at the council under delegated powers. However, some applications will go before elected councillors who sit on planning committees.
No dates have been set for when the planning applications below will be determined. They can be viewed by going to the planning portal on Cornwall Council’s website.
Extension and alteration work at Rock hotel
A well-known chef has applied to make a range of changes to a renowned hotel he took ownership of earlier this year. Paul Ainsworth has submitted a planning application for extension and alteration works at the 100-year-old St Enodoc Hotel in Rock.
If approved, the work will include a modern glazed extension, green roof and first-floor terrace alongside the addition of two new bedrooms through reconfiguration, increasing the total number from 21 to 23, which would be achieved without expansion of the building footprint.
The introduction of a new commercial kitchen, dedicated residents’ lounge, bar and garden room restaurant will “elevate the hotel’s offering while supporting the creation of new permanent and seasonal employment opportunities in the area,” according to a supporting statement by Cornwall Planning Group.
The St Enodoc Hotel has been in operation since the 1920s and is positioned on an elevated part of Rock with views across the Camel Estuary. In January 2025, renowned chef Paul Ainsworth and his wife Emma bought the hotel, adding it to their growing hospitality portfolio known as The Ainsworth Collection.
The Ainsworth business group employs approximately 200 local people across its portfolio of enterprises. The couple’s ventures include:
- Paul Ainsworth at No.6 – Their flagship Michelin-starred restaurant in Padstow
- Caffè Rojano – An Italian restaurant that was rebranded in 2020, offering a New York/Italian-inspired menu, also in Padstow
- Padstow Townhouse – A boutique guesthouse offering six luxury suites with in-room spa treatments and a pantry stocked with local produce
- The Mariners – A historic pub in Rock, relaunched in 2019 with a new menu and interiors
- Mahé – A cookery school and chef’s table named after the Seychelles island where Paul’s parents met offering intimate dining experiences and culinary classes
- Various educational and charity works.
The St Enodoc Hotel currently employs 38 staff members on a year-round basis. This workforce expands to around 80 during the busy tourism season.
The planning statement adds: “The hotel will also play a vital role in relieving pressure on other visitor venues in the area, including the Mariners Public House, which is under the same ownership. By providing expanded and diversified guest and dining facilities, the St Enodoc Hotel will help distribute footfall and traffic more evenly, indirectly benefiting local residents, emergency services, and broader community infrastructure.”
Affordable homes in West Cornwall parish
Housing association Coastline has applied to build 37 affordable homes on land off Wilbur Way, St Buryan, near Penzance. The company says the homes would prioritise local people, helping families stay rooted in the parish.
The application site has an area of 2.37 hectares set on a south-facing slope across farmland to the south-west of the village of St Buryan.
The latest housing need figures from Cornwall Council, based on the Homechoice Register, have a recorded local need of 49 households with a local connection to the parish of St Buryan, Lamorna and Paul. The proposed scheme would comprise 26 homes for social rent and 11 for shared ownership.
Sheltered housing units at residential home
An outline application has been submitted by Wentworth Healthcare Ltd for residential development of land for eight sheltered housing units including layout, scale and access at Beaumont Court Residential Home, Church Hill, North Petherwin, near Launceston.
The home provides accommodation for 40 residents and the proposed sheltered housing dwellings would complement the care provision and be a suitable addition to the local housing stock, says a planning statement. “Each unit will provide flexible independent living accommodation within walking distance of bus stops, shops and recreational uses affording this site as a highly sustainable location for new dwellings.
“There is level access to the front entrance door of each unit via the landscaped communal garden and there is an individual path leading to each dwelling which provides full accessibility.”