Gyllyngvase Hill, Falmouth

An imposing Edwardian property dating from 1904, standing within a stone’s throw of Falmouth seafront and among the very closest freehold properties to Gyllyngvase Beach. Offered for sale for the first time in fifteen years, the house has been dramatically extended and reconfigured over the years to provide eight en-suite bedrooms within the main accommodation, together with a self-contained one/two bedroom ground floor apartment to the rear known as Dolphins Apartment, currently run as a successful holiday let by our clients.

PLANNING AND METHOD OF PURCHASE
The property is presently classified for guest house use. We understand that the neighbouring property was successful in obtaining planning permission for a change of use from guest house to a single private dwelling (Use Class C3), and we would therefore not anticipate any material difficulty in securing a similar consent here, although a formal planning application would be required and no assurance can be given as to the outcome.
Once such consent is in place, we see no reason why the property would not be suitable for standard residential mortgage purposes. In its current classification, however, a purchaser would need to proceed either with commercial finance or with cash funds. Interested parties are advised to satisfy themselves on both points, and to take independent advice from their lender and from Cornwall Council’s planning department, before committing to a purchase.

THE PROPERTY
The house opens into a generous reception hall laid with the original geometric tiled flooring, a striking feature that sets the tone for the period detail found throughout. From here rises the Edwardian staircase, with its turned balusters and moulded handrail, to a large galleried landing lit by tall windows. Deep skirtings, picture rails, corniced ceilings and panelled doors survive in good measure.

Two large reception rooms sit to the front of the house, each with a broad bay window framing glorious views over Gyllyngvase Beach and the sea beyond. Both are rooms of real proportion, well suited to family life or to entertaining, and each benefits from the light that the bay windows draw in through much of the day.

The eight bedrooms within the main accommodation are all en-suite, arranged across the ground and upper floors. Those to the front and side take in the beach views, while two of the rear bedrooms look in the opposite direction, towards Pendennis Point and across Falmouth Bay, giving the house an unusual dual outlook.

Some updating is now required, principally the refitting of the shower rooms, and there is considerable scope for a purchaser to reconfigure the layout to suit their own requirements, subject to any necessary consents. The result is a house that offers genuine opportunity as well as immediate space.

DOLPHINS APARTMENT
Set to the rear and formerly the owners’ accommodation, Dolphins Apartment is a self-contained two bedroom unit with its own private sun terrace. Our clients have let it successfully on a holiday basis and it offers an incoming purchaser a ready income stream, ancillary accommodation for extended family, or simply additional living space should it be reincorporated into the main house.

OUTSIDE
The property is approached over a tarmacadam forecourt providing parking for a considerable number of vehicles, a rare and valuable asset this close to the seafront. Steps rise to the front terrace, bordered by established beds and enjoying elevated views over the beach and bay. A separate private sun terrace serves Dolphins Apartment.

THE SITUATION
Gyllyngvase Hill lies within one of Falmouth’s most sought after coastal districts, moments from the seafront and a level stroll from the sand. Gyllyngvase Beach itself is a broad crescent of sand, a long standing favourite with families, with a beachside restaurant and café and the coast path running east towards Pendennis Point and west towards Swanpool and Maenporth.

Falmouth is a colourful and bustling town set on one of the world’s finest natural harbours, with an excellent range of independent shops, restaurants, galleries and schooling, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, and a branch line rail service connecting at Truro. The cathedral city of Truro lies approximately thirteen miles distant and offers a fuller range of shopping and leisure facilities together with a main line service to London Paddington.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tenure- Freehold.
Services -Mains electricity, water and drainage are connected. Gas fired central heating.
EPC. Ratings - Main House 64(D), Dolphins Apartment 71(C)
Council Tax and Business Rates - The annexe know as Dolphins Apartment is assessed for council tax in Band B. The main accommodation is currently entered in the rating list as a guest house with a rateable value of £11,000. The rateable value is not the sum payable, but the Valuation Office Agency’s assessment of notional annual rent, from which the bill is calculated. As it falls below the £12,000 threshold, the property attracts 100% Small Business Rate Relief and our clients’ bill is £0. Should a purchaser obtain consent for residential use, the property would instead be banded for council tax. Interested parties should satisfy themselves as to their likely liability.
Possession -Vacant possession, subject to our clients onward purchase.
Viewing -Strictly by prior appointment through Tom Wills Property.