A PLANNING inspector has ruled that 24 new homes can be built in a village after all, reversing several years of refusals on developing a green field site.

In Dobwalls, local people and the parish council have consistently objected to plans to develop at Treheath Farm, opposite the primary school.

In April 2021, the most recent of a series of planning applications for the site was refused. But now, after an appeal lodged by developer T Murphy of Iconic Consultancy, the planning inspector has ruled that the appeal can be granted, and that outline permission for the scheme is given.

In its comments to the planning inspectorate, Dobwalls Parish Council had stated that it “vehemently” objected to development on this land. The local council argued that there were only three places available at the local primary school, that health services could not cope with more demand, and that the land was of high grade agricultural value and currently being grazed by cows.

The village had reached its quota of new housing up to 2030, said the Council.

But in his report, inspector Paul Wyborn said that a “clear need for affordable homes in Dobwalls had been demonstrated”, even taking into account the new houses already in the pipeline. An affordable-led scheme would override the fact that in the Neighbourhood Development Plan, the site lies outside the village settlement boundary.

The school places issue, he said, was addressed to the local authority’s satisfaction by the payment that would be required from the developer towards education provision.

The development, in his opinion, would “only cause moderate harm to the character and appearance of the landscape”.

The planning inspector said that only limited weight could be given to the Neighbourhood Plan as it has not yet been adopted.

This stance may stick in the throats of those who have spent many years working on the Plan’s policies: the document is complete and ready for inspection, the process having been held back by Government-imposed COVID guidelines.

There is no automatic right of appeal against the decision made by the inspector.

The Parish Council and Cornwall Councillor for the area are now looking closely at the inspector’s report and application documents: the matter is set to be discussed at the next parish council meeting on November 17.

Parish Council chairman cllr John Dunn has said that spaces for members of the public will be limited at the council meeting, due to the size of the venue and Covid distancing - and that time will be limited to 15 minutes for public questions.

He has suggested that once the council has looked at the appeal paperwork in detail and discussed the options open to them, a larger venue could be booked to "enable any interested members of the public to attend a meeting for the sole purpose of discussing the planning case without a limit on time or space".