CORNWALL Council has said it has concerns over the lack of affordable housing in proposals for 200 houses on land adjacent to the proposed Halgavor Moor development.

The council’s response to the pre-application advice enquiry by Landra Developments Ltd concerning land to the east of Grass Valley Park, south of Respryn Road, Lanhydrock, Bodmin, was initially kept confidential, but was revealed after a freedom of information request by Tindle Newspapers Cornwall.

In the response from Cornwall Council, the site was described as thus: “The whole red line site is situated outside of the settlement of Bodmin (south of the town) but does adjoin housing located at Grass Valley Park to the north west and is bordered by Carminow Road and Respryn Road to the north alongside the Bodmin Wenford Heritage Railway.

“A narrow bridge (allowing one direction of flowing traffic only at a time), straddles the railway line north of the junction between Carminow Road and Respryn Road. The submitted site comprises seven fields, presently in agricultural use, that form part of Higher Halgavor Farm.

“The topography is varied with steeply sloping fields falling to the south / south east. Field boundaries are established with a number of oak trees and other species that characterise dense landscaped boundaries. There is a considerable change of levels from the corner of Carminow Road / Respryn Road at the highest point down to the edge of Lanhydrock Downs at the lowest point.

“A pedestrian / cycle link borders the north west boundary from its junction with Carminow Road and Respryn Road and heads south and west to connect to Island Lanes and onto Lostwithiel Road. There is an established walking and cycling route that leads east wards along Respryn Road to the A30 and over the footbridge to Lanhydrock National Trust Estate further east of the A30. This is a very popular route for locals and tourists alike.”

“The site is located on the edge of Bodmin on farmland within the countryside. In terms of the site position in context to the town, the proposed development could be accessible to a range of services and facilities by sustainable methods of travel and transport.

“However, in consideration of the proposed scheme density and expectation of more trips on foot and by bicycle generated by new residents, there are assessed to be current restrictions that limit safe connection between the site and the Walker Lines Industrial Estate, across the railway, for pedestrians and cyclists at this moment in time. This is an important material consideration and will need to be satisfactorily addressed.”

Comments provided by the council’s highway development management consultee did not respond positively to the proposals as submitted in the pre-application process.

They said: “There are a number of significant challenges with this site such that the proposals in their current form would not receive highways support, and I would caution against submitting a full application until these have been addressed and received support in principle.

“The Bodmin Town Transport Strategy (BTTS) sets out the requirement for a link road to connect Lostwithiel Road and Respryn Road, serving to divert traffic from the centre of Bodmin. Importantly for the purposes of this site it is also proposes crossing the rail line to the north via a new structure more suited to vehicular traffic which would allow the downgrading of the existing bridge for use by non-motorised users.

“The strategy highlights the currently unsuitability of the existing structure noting its poor horizontal and vertical alignment, larger vehicles currently have difficulty navigating the structure and an example of this was outlined in the meeting.

“At present the proposal is contrary to the above in a number of areas. It does not provide a new crossing of the rail line, relying on the existing sub-standard structure, unsuited to intensification by both vehicular and non-motorised users.

“By virtue of the proposed signalisation of the structure and site access, this would be contrary to the intent to provide a link road specification connection between Respryn Road and Lostwithiel Road.

“Internal discussion has muted the idea of provision of a standalone pedestrian / cycle bridge (for use by horse riders also) that may be located beside the existing road bridge over the railway, to improve safe and suitable connectivity between this site and the Walker Lines Industrial Estate.”

In response to this, the officer charged with the pre-application enquiry continued: “I am concerned that we may collectively fail to secure important pedestrian and cycle links if we focus too much on the traffic flow itself. If your proposals for a signalised junction can be agreed to be safe in traffic management terms, I still believe the lack of good pedestrian and cycle linkages in and around the bridge, and specifically to facilitate access to the large business park to the north, would be a missed opportunity.

“I would therefore ask that you give thought to the idea of provision of a standalone pedestrian / cycle bridge (for use by horse riders also) that may be located beside the existing road bridge over the railway, to improve safe and suitable connectivity between this site and the Walker Lines Industrial Estate in the event that a signalised junction is otherwise acceptable.”

The council also confirmed that land within the allocation for the site was owned by Cornwall Council and the farming family at Higher Halgavor Farm and that while the proposal by the applicant concerned the land at the farm, it might need to acquire some of the council’s land to secure the required access routes.

The planning officer had concerns with the proposal mapped in the pre-application as it only included 25 per cent affordable housing, with Bodmin being in an area where a minimum of 30 per cent is expected.

They stated: “The proposal does present a dilemma as it incorporates part of an adopted allocation (which seeks 25 per cent affordable housing provision) and is also located in the open countryside albeit on the edge of a main town. Policy 8 of the Local Plan requires 30 per cent affordable housing provision for Bodmin.

“It is likely under these circumstances and in light of the identified housing crisis including demand for affordable housing in this area, that the 30 per cent provision would be the minimum expected as part of the overall scheme mix. Specific engagement with the Council’s Affordable Housing consultee is recommended.”

The planning officer concluded: “There are a number of areas of this current proposal which present challenges to demonstrating that a high quality development can be integrated with Bodmin and existing infrastructure including the highway network; and access for all (pedestrians and cyclists).

“There is no evidence at this time that the impact on the River Camel Special Area of Conservation, ecology, habitats, water environment, heritage and landscape have been assessed to date and further work is recommended as part of the pre application stage of the planning process to fully understand and seek to address all relevant matters ahead of a planning application submission.”

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