PLANS for hundreds of holiday lodges and new facilities at the St Mellion International Resort have been given the go-ahead by Cornwall Council.

Resort owners Crown Golf intend to make a £55m investment in the site they describe as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of their portfolio.

They want to appeal beyond the niche golfing interest market to a wider audience of family holidaymakers.

The plans approved will see 27 lodges built as well as a new wedding venue, a kids club and outdoor play area, tennis courts and an adventure golf course.

A later part of the project will include the enlarging of a lake to create a watersports facility.

But the outline planning permission also given for the second phase of development will see an ancient settlement ‘encircled by 203 holiday chalets’, says one resident of Woolaton, a tiny hamlet that sits within the golf course.

Records suggest that a settlement existed here as far back as the 13th century: some of the existing properties were built in the 17th century, and the whole hamlet is Grade II Listed.

At present, the old farmhouse and its attendant buildings nestle within some trees and are situated at a distance from other more modern developments at the resort.

One resident who commented on Cornwall Council’s planning register said: ‘The phase two element of these plans impact on Woolaton to the extent that the tiny hamlet we live in will be broken up and encircled by holiday chalets.

‘I found out about the proposed plan from a display for members in the golf club.

‘I was very surprised to see lodges sited within my garden.’

The resident claims that a heritage statement attached to the planning application is out of date and that a map provided is incorrect, as their land has not been indicated as private land.

‘While I understand we live within the boundaries of a golf course, the hamlet itself is very much intact with an old single-track lane connecting the listed properties.’

In her report, planning officer Davina Pritchard says that ‘the proposed layout shown on the submitted plans is for indicative purposes only’.

‘It is recognised that, if outline planning permission is approved, further consideration would need to be given to the layout of the proposed holiday lodges,’ she said. The benefits of the scheme overall, which include a major investment into the local economy, the creation of an estimated 50 new jobs, and the establishing of a new family-friendly resort in South East Cornwall, represent social and economic benefits which outweigh the adverse impact on the heritage assets, says the planning officer.