St Ives Town Council has put its support behind a £10.5m extension and refurbishment on the local Tate gallery, which overlooks Porthmeor Beach.

The extension, presented to the council planning committee on 10 January, will add 300sq m of extra floor space to the gallery's current footprint of 500sq m.

It will create three zones for exhibitions and displays, enabling three seasons of international contemporary art each year, more displays drawn from the wider Tate collection, and a 12-month display of the St Ives modernists.

A new loading bay, art handling area and art lift will provide a secure environment for the gallery to receive artworks.

Improved visitor facilities will include new circulation routes, including stairs and a lift, and new public toilets.

Staff offices will also be added in the extension.

The design team, led by Jamie Fobert Architects, includes mechanical and electrical engineer Max Fordham, structural engineer Price & Myers, and Sweett Group as the cost consultant.

The Tate St Ives opened to the public in 1993 and attracts more than 200,000 visitors a year.

In 2009 the gallery brought approximately £12m into the Cornish economy.