Work on the first phase of a new village on the outskirts of Saltash is beginning after planning approval was granted by Cornwall Council.

The development, to be named Treledan, will eventually reach 1,000 new homes on the Broadmoor Farm site at Stoketon to the west of the town.

The reserved matters planning application for 387 houses was given the approval of Saltash Town Council recently after some changes were made. The Highways Officer has also said that the amended layout is better.

Between the Town Council’s objection in March and its recommendation of approval on May 27, during which time the elections were held, changes to the plans were put in by the developer.

The Town Council agreed not to call the application in to be decided by planning committee.

Case officer Patrick James says that, after consultation between Cornwall’s planning department and the divisional member Cllr Martin Worth, who affirmed he had no reason to go against the stated position of the Town Council, it was decided that the decision on the plans could be taken under delegated powers.

Some local residents say that there has not been enough time to consider the amendments to the plans, which run to some 185 documents.

The scheme, which had already been strategically allocated at Broadmoor some years ago, has come under fire for “swallowing up the settlement of Carkeel” and for a lack of enough sustainable elements such as solar panels, heat pumps, or triple glazing, which would reduce carbon emissions.

One Saltash resident said: “This appears to be being pushed through in advance of substantial changes (in policy) that would set the bar higher, and make these homes altogether much better to take their owners through a world where the climate is changing and our behaviours will have to alter considerably to keep up.”

Concerns had been raised by Cornwall’s Principal Open Space officer in April: it appears that this officer has not made comments on the revised plans submitted in May.

In his report, case officer Patrick James says that while at 387, the number of houses is slightly higher than expected for this phase, and while there are “unexploited opportunities to better combat climate change and biodiversity loss”, the reserved matters scheme nonetheless does accord with both the original planning permission and the policies of the local development plan.”

Outline planning permission had been granted in 2017: development has been in the pipeline here since at least 2013.

A previous reserved matters application was refused in April 2020 on the grounds of “poor design”. The plans were described as having a cramped and over-intensive layout, being dominated by cars and car parking, and failing to respond to local character, among other criticisms.

Negotiations have subsequently taken place, including input from three meetings of the SW Design Review Panel about the scheme, and with residents in the immediate vicinity of Carkeel. Seventy-five letters were sent to households in Carkeel and seven responses were received, states the planning officer.

Developer Barratt David Wilson Homes says that the new designs and materials for the two-, three- and four-bedroom homes take inspiration directly from neighbouring historic buildings and the local style and character of communities nearby.

“Subtle variations in the materials and designs of the homes will help ensure the development has a unique, distinguishable look and feel, including classic Cornish off-white and cream render,” says the company. “Stone will also be used along with slate-colour roof tiles tie in with existing farm buildings and woodland.”

The development, says Barratt, will include large areas of public open space and a wide-range of cycle and pedestrian routes through the site in order to reduce car dependency and make the most of its rural location. Hedgerows will also be maintained in order to protect local biodiversity.

But one local commentator described the cycle-path on the spine road with “seating to allow people an opportunity to pause and reflect” as a “joke”. With the speed limit 30mph, this straight road “would become a rat run in no time”, said the resident. “The national cycle infrastructure design published in July 2020 states clearly that space for cycling should be made available on the highway, and that shared use pedestrian/cycle paths are not acceptable”, she said.

David Matthews, development director for Barratt David Wilson Homes Exeter, said: “We’re delighted to have received planning permission for Treledan, and looking forward to starting work on this beautiful new site. We’re committed to ensuring our developments are highly sustainable and are looking forward to creating gardens, public spaces, cycle ways and footpaths that encourage and celebrate nature.” To have a closer look at the plans, visit Cornwall Council’s planning portal and use the reference PA21/01757