A new community shop for a Tamar Valley community has moved a step closer with the submission of a planning application to Cornwall Council.

The application puts forward detailed plans for the new community shop in the grounds of Harrowbarrow and Metherell Village Hall.

The project will see a refurbished modular site office building installed in the green space on the site just within the entrance to replace the village post office elsewhere in the village which is due to close in August when its long-time owners retire.

The plan shows the modular building which will be clad in timber with a pitched roof erected to provide a covered seating area and location for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for on-site electricity generation. The scheme also includes some localised planting and the replacement of a grassed area with hardstanding for access.

The planning application states that the building will occupy a footprint of approximately 100 square metres “allowing ample space for retail operations, storage, and a small area for community engagement activities”.

A timber-clad modular building similar to this is planned for the community shop which will replace the village Post Office which is closing in summer 2025. (Picture: Harrowbarrow and Metherell Community Shop)
The new community shop could look like this timber-clad modular building. Picture: Harrowbarrow and Metherell Community Shop. ( )

The size of the shop reflects what residents suggest would be a good size in a community feasibility survey carried out last September, with a lower roof height than the adjacent hall as to “not dominate the landscape”.

The space includes an outdoor terrace with a ‘hedgehog hole’ at the base of cladding at the rear of the building. A new bank will provide a safe route underneath the new building for hedgehogs, and bird boxes will be installed on the side.

This application is being submitted to Cornwall Council by Calstock Parish Council on behalf of the community shop team.

A spokesperson for the council said: “It was the community association's understanding that parish councils do not have to pay as much for a planning application and as the parish council are fully supportive of the project, the application was submitted in our name with full approval.”

In March, the community shop project was named Organisation of the Year 2025 by Calstock Parish Council in recognition of their efforts in securing this asset for the community.

A spokesperson for the community shop project said: “Our planning application has now gone live on the planning portal. It's all very exciting and an important milestone, as soon as we hear any news we will of course update you all.”

A ‘share’ offering on the community shop is still short of its £65,000 target which it hopes to reach by the end of April.

A spokesperson said: “We've had a great response to the share offer. Our overall target is £65k. We currently sit at £42k which includes shares, grants and donations.

“We are relying on some grants to get us to £65k but obviously that's not guaranteed so we are encouraging people to buy some more shares before the end of April to ease the pressure on grant applications.”

The application can be viewed under PA25/02055 on the Cornwall Council planning portal. The deadline for a decision is set as Tuesday, May 27.