Today I took the planning application for 30 houses on the site at St Cleer to the Planning Committee.
The speech I made to put the community point of view is copied below. The decision was tied at 7-7 and then the Chairman (Andrew Long from Callington) gave his casting vote in favour so the application was passed.So close! A comment from one of the members who voted in favour was that our Neighbourhood Plan was not far enough advanced to count (as a material consideration). This highlights the need to get things moving if we want our voices heard in any way that matters.
Please come along and join in the Neighbourhood Plan on Thursday 18th
My speech
The National Planning Policy Framework requires the Local Planning Authority to identify sites for housing for the next 6-10 years
The people of St Cleer have just started on their Neighbourhood Plan. They recognise the need for further housing, perhaps as many as 100 new homes over the coming years, and will identify where those houses should be built as part of the process. We have a public meeting later this week where several prospective developers have been invited to show their ideas, which amount to a further 100 possible homes.
The site before you today was rejected totally by the community at two well attended public meetings as unsuitable. The NPPF supports their view.
The Caradon local plan recognised the character of the parish as a typical moorland one of small satellite hamlets surrounding the main village, which had already had about 500 new homes in the 70s and 80s. Consequently the development boundaries were drawn tightly around the existing built area. There is still unused designated housing space within those boundaries. In line with the NPPF the green gaps prevent the merging of the settlements which would result in suburban sprawl The pictures you have seen have shown how narrow the gaps are in places. These spaces also help to promote the free passage of wildlife necessary to healthy gene pools for biodiversity.
The site contains part of the UNESCO designated World Heritage Site for Cornish Mining. Once the Outstanding Universal Value of the site becomes degraded in too many places there is a risk to the designation as a whole and its attendant economic benefits to Cornwall.
The line of the Liskeard and Caradon Railway needs more than a 1M wide tarmac path to show its position in the wider landscape. Parts were built on before the designation in 2006 and it is therefore essential to protect what is left. The NPPF states that substantial harm to the WHS should be wholly exceptional and that loss of a building (or other element ) which makes a positive contribution should be treated as substantial harm.
The local residents are concerned for highway safety, and you have seen pictures of the road past the site. However if you have visited the site you will have seen the constricted nature of the road through the village and the number of junctions on blind corners. Any additional traffic will result in additional pressure on these areas and consequent hazards.
The report states that part of the site is Level 3 flood zone. It does not highlight the fact that the stream drains through Tremarcoombe and that in the past there has been flooding caused by the blockage of the culvert under the road there. There are several springs reported both in this field and neighbouring gardens which would increase drainage problems and not only would there be an increase in roof space but hard landscaping features and roads would promote additional run off.
If you are minded to approve this application I should like to propose some alterations to the conditions to cover these points.
The community believes that this site is not acceptable and local voices should be heard as part of the planning process.
The Neighbourhood Plan must be given the chance to shape the future of the Parish and not be pre-empted by speculative outline planning applications. I ask therefore that you refuse this application.