The threatened sale of the site of the historic synagogue in Penzance, Cornwall will not go ahead after a decision by the local council.

Market Jew Street in Penzance is home to the crumbled remains of what used to be the centre of a thriving Jewish community.

The site is owned by the Star Inn pub. A proposal to sell it off as part of a redevelopment plan by the pub was rejected by Cornwall Council, according to a report in the Western Morning News.

Members of the Penzance Civic Society who had opposed the redevelopment were triumphant. "We are pleased that the impact has given pause to the councillors," Paul Young, chair of the society told the newspaper.

A spokesperson for Star Pubs and Bars said: "We are of course disappointed. We believe our plans for the pub would help regenerate the high street.

"We will therefore be liaising with the local authority planning department to discuss options going forward."

Jews arrived in Cornwall in the 1720s and remained for around 200 years. There is a Jewish graveyard in Penzance as well as Falmouth. Now there is only one Jewish community in Cornwall, Kehillat Kernow, based in Truro, with around 80 members.