Retirement homes proposed for Penzance's seafront could be left "functioning as islands within surrounding floodwater", with elderly residents unable to be evacuated or reached by emergency services. That is the view of the Environment Agency about a plan by Churchill Living to build 56 retirement flats and six retirement cottages on the site of the former Lidl store in the Wherrytown area of Penzance. The application remains undetermined by Cornwall Council almost a year after its original September 18, 2025, decision deadline.
Last month, the Environment Agency (EA) withdrew a previous objection after the applicant added flood risk conditions. However, the agency still has "serious flood risk concerns" about residents being able to enter and leave the buildings during a flood.
EA findings on Cornwall Council's planning portal say that during a design flood event, the buildings would be "functioning as islands within surrounding floodwater". Elderly residents would be unable to be evacuated or reached by emergency services in the event of a fire, a medical emergency or a power failure, for up to 12 hours at a time.
Campaigners have opposed the development since its inception, arguing it is in the wrong place and vulnerable to flooding. There are currently 90 objections and two supporting comments on the council's planning portal.
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In a statement, campaigners said: "The applicant's own flood modelling, endorsed by the Environment Agency, shows the site's grounds and access route would flood to depths of up to 1.97 metres during a design flood event, driven by wave over-topping."
The EA states that "safe access and escape are not available during
Penzance Retirement Homes Plan Sparks Flood Evacuation Fears