PA24/00168/PREAPP: A CORNISH town could see the construction of up to 325 new houses if proposals are eventually approved by Cornwall Council.

Grass Roots Planning is seeking pre-application advice on behalf of Wadebridge LVA before a full application is submitted for the new homes, which would include a 30 per cent element of “affordable” housing – up to 98 properties.

The proposed development would be on 17.29 hectares of land near West Hill in the town. It would include a mix and range of house types such as detached, semi-detached and terraced properties, ranging from one to four bedrooms and including one to three-storey houses.

A planning statement says that “generous areas of open space are positioned to the south and west of the site with additional landscaping to the north and north east. The proposed density provides an average of 33 dwelling homes per hectare across the site.

“The development has been designed to accommodate existing site features such as hedgerows and trees, to protect biodiversity interests, on site and is thus formed of five distinct development parcels separated by the existing hedgerow and site characteristics.”

Grass Roots Planning’s pre-app states that a recent appeal decision confirmed that as a result of the failure of any neighbourhood plan to progress in Wadebridge, along with no allocations for the town being made in a ‘site allocation development plan document’, the unmet housing requirement for Wadebridge has resulted in policies that control the location of new development being considered out of date.

The unmet need is identified in Cornwall Council’s Housing Implementation Strategy 2023 as being 198 dwellings for Wadebridge specifically.

The pre-app adds: “The LVA have an agreement with the landowners to promote this site for residential development. It is considered that the proposals will form a sustainable extension to the existing settlement, contributing to the unmet need for both market and affordable housing.”

The site is currently six agricultural fields which are bound and intersected by hedgerows. They are located to the south of West Hill which is a continuation of residential development from the town centre to the east. 

To the west of the site is Dunveth Business Park, an existing retail / industrial park where new units have recently been built adjacent to the site boundary.

For more details of the proposals see PA24/00168/PREAPP on Cornwall Council’s planning portal.

A BIKE HIRE business could be set to be located on the edge of the Camel Trail in Bodmin. 

Explore by Bike are seeking planning permission to relocate from Priory Park to the car park at the Borough Arms. 

They told Cornwall Council: “Working with Bodmin Town Council, Explore by Bike gained planning permission in 2019 (PA19/01575) to place a shipping container in Priory Park, Bodmin from which to operate a bicycle hire and servicing business. Over the intervening years the business has grown successfully and provides a range of bicycles from children size to battery assisted ones.

“Hirers can utilise the many trails around Bodmin and especially the Camel Trail for which the appropriate licence has been obtained. The business wishes to expand but is constrained in its current location.

The business has received much praise, however the location in the centre of town has been a negative point in customer feedback due to the difficult road route to and from the Camel Trail. 

“Customers have to cross the busy A389, the main road that runs through town, and negotiate travelling, legally, the ‘wrong way’ along Crockwell Street when returning from the Trail to Priory Park. Crockwell Street is one way for vehicles from Fore Street to Dennison Road (the A389) but two way for bicycles. In order to address customers complaints, the business has been trying to relocate closer to the Camel Trail. Unfortunately negotiations with locations at the start of the Trail at Hillside Park have been unsuccessful.”

“Negotiations with St Austell Brewery have identified a site at the Borough Arms, Dunmere Road, Bodmin which is not utilised by the pub. The area is the upper hardstanding to the south of the pub grounds. The site is surrounded on 3 sides by Cornish hedges and on the north side by low timber fence which segregates it from the upper seating and play area.”

The plans are currently under consideration by Cornwall Council.