Back in May, it was announced that a bid to replace a historic waterfront building was back on the table after amendments were made to the design.

A controversial plan to demolish an iconic building in a Cornish waterside village has split the community, with many people feeling its replacement is much-needed for the local economy while others believe it would be completely out of place.

Revised plans have been lodged with Cornwall Council to replace the historic Pomery's garage in St Mawes with headquarters for Roseland Gig Club (RGC) and the village's heritage group along with flats.

The plans, which split opinion in the village last year, are back on the table after amendments were made to the design following public consultation and comments made by concerned locals on the council's planning portal. However, it is still causing arguments.

Pomery's Ltd, a company set up by members of both the Roseland Gig Club and St Just and St Mawes Heritage Group, wants to knock down the historic former waterfront Pomery's Garage on Kings Road and create ground floor space for the gig club to store its boats and provide limited accommodation. The first floor would provide a meeting space for the community and heritage group, with a museum and art gallery, while the upper floors would provide residential accommodation.

The building – originally constructed in the late 18th or early 19th century as a pilchard warehouse – was previously the home of artist and musician Brenda Pye, who bequeathed the freehold of the site to the gig club. She also created a 984-year lease in favour of the St Just and St Mawes Heritage Group, running from 2014. However, her bequest did not provide the means to update the building, which is in a poor state.

The applicants state that the cost of the new building can be covered by including flats on the upper floors, whose sale will generate funds to pay for the whole building. Initial plans caused controversy last year, with almost over over 100 people signing a petition calling for the original application to be thrown out, stating "that in terms of scale, character distinctiveness, roofline and skyline it is not in keeping with our fishing village heritage".

Cornwall Council's planning portal is gaining comments from people in the village, which is a popular tourist spot and a haven for second homes. Here are just some of the views expressed:

Those in favour of the Pomery's plans

Nathaniel Bennett: "As the captain of Roseland Gig Club I can say with some authority that this building is necessary unless the community of St Mawes wants the only non-state institution that caters to children in the village to fold and disappear. Maybe those who object simply want more second homes, holiday flats rather than two thriving local institutions that are part of the everyday life of St Mawes, maybe they've had enough of RGC flying the flag of the Roseland all over Cornwall whenever they take their boats abroad and compete with them, maybe they don't like that often the only activity other than delivery vans and lorries are the pilot gigs being launched and training taking place

"All of this is to say that RGC is the living heritage of St Mawes, and we need a place to operate from that isn't a dangerous crumbling ruin, turn us away and the village will be weaker for it."

Mark Osborn: "I fully support this application. I was quite moved by the pleas from both the gig club and the heritage group at last night's parish council meeting seeking approval for this application. Sadly the PC appear to be going to object and now the gig club are likely to be made homeless as the building will have to be sold as neither party has the finance to take the project further. In my view the proposal is a planning gain for the village and should go ahead."

Mark McCartney: "The plans have been modified to meet previous objections. The building will be a great practical and visual asset to the village and allow the sport of gig rowing to continue, for the benefit of the local community."

Jemima Hitchings: "The proposed plan to rebuild Pomery's would prove incredibly beneficial to many in our great community. The gig club has been at the heart of the village for decades and the plans provide a safe and secure home for decades to come, as well as a base for the heritage group and accessible accommodation upstairs.

"Although the planned frontage yields modifications to the current aesthetic of Pomery's, it is no different from the modern Kings Road we see today and the building plan is completely in keeping with the current waterfront of St Mawes. The rebuild will be a positive addition to St Mawes and indeed the Roseland as a whole. Delivering a home for traditional sport and local heritage to thrive will undoubtedly bring long-term benefits to the community."

Clive Burge: "Should planning permission be granted it will provide a permanent base for the Roseland Gig Club, with much needed upgraded facilities. It will also provide the St Just & St Mawes Heritage Group with a permanent base and allow Brenda Pye's art collection to be displayed locally (it is currently displayed in Falmouth due to lack of premises in St Mawes). I am concerned that if planning permission is refused then the building, due to its poor condition, will have to be sold to a developer and Pomery's will be lost to the local community."

Those against the Pomery's plans

Philip van Grutten: "The proposal is not for the 'rebuilding of Pomery's', it is for the demolition of Pomery's and the construction of an entirely new and inappropriate, much larger, building in its place. The Heritage Group claims in the chairman's annual report that 'all the legitimate comments [related to the previous application] have now been addressed by making design modifications'.

"It appears to us that very few of the points raised by the majority of those objecting have been addressed. The heat source pumps may now be hidden from view from the water, but this appears to have been achieved by adding an additional pitched roof thereby increasing the overall mass of the building even more."

Edwin Bennett: "I would urge the council to take note of the original intention of the previous owner of this building … that is that the building should be maintained for the benefit of the local community. Any course of action that allows any other outcome should be stopped. Any threats to sell the property to a private developer should be viewed with suspicion and the persons responsible for the building , and this includes the council, should be reminded of their duty."

Polly Gegg: "We made objections to the first application and see that insufficient changes have been made to the plans in answer to the general public's demands that a sympathetic building be created. This site is central to the historic and aesthetic value of the village and our tourist industry, therefore it needs more careful consideration than is being given.

"In addition, the proposed building will have adverse affects on all the adjacent properties in terms of light, privacy, and ambience, and the tourist industry is already well served with ample choice in accommodation. The face of Pomeroy's is iconic and needs to be preserved as closely as possible."

Yvonne Fuller: "The scheme is far too large and reflects nothing of the character of what is the last traditional working warehouse on St Mawes harbour. We have now been presented by the proposer of the scheme with an ultimatum that unless we capitulate and accept this scheme in its entirety, the building will be sold and handed over to a developer who could proposed something far worse. I disagree, there has to be a better solution, something altogether more modest and fitting. Please turn this application down."

Tina Hamling: "There is considerable negative impact on the properties of neighbouring permanent residents and no reconsideration has been given to the noise pollution from the air source heat pumps. Not one aim of the Roseland Development Plan has been met nor consideration given to the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).

"The proposed redevelopment to include three flats, a meeting room and gig club house is over ambitious resulting in cramped and unsuitable accommodation all round – far from the 'state of the art' facility promised. Bearing in mind that St Mawes reached saturation point many years ago with regard to holiday lets and second homes, plus the fact that the village already has a number of underused meeting rooms, it is difficult to see any redeeming facts in this proposal at all. In fact, marketing these plans as being a 'huge benefit to the community' is incredibly misleading."

The plan will be discussed at a Cornwall Council planning meeting yet to be determined.