Cornwall, Langarth Garden Village plans approved

Langarth Garden Village on the outskirts of Truro – previously described as a “new town” – was unanimously approved by Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee this morning.

Under the proposals up to 3,550 homes could be built across the site including a minimum of 35% affordable homes. In addition there would be 200 extra care homes and 50 student/healthworker accommodation.

It also includes two primary schools, health facilities, emergency services facilities, extensive open space, shops, pubs, restaurants and employment space.

The plans have been developed over a number of years and are being led by Cornwall Council which councillors heard has acquired two-thirds of the land needed for the housing.

A decision to make an intervention was made by the council after a number of separate planning permissions were approved for different parts of the land but work was not started on any of them.

The council said that the previous proposals were a “patchwork quilt” of developments and it wanted to bring the whole area together to create a more coherent approach.

As a result a masterplan for the site has been created which includes a design code which will be used to ensure that the garden village has common themes through it.

Phil Mason, council strategic director who has led on the scheme, said that he was “proud” to be the applicant for the project.

He said that the previous proposals for the site “was not good enough for Truro and not good enough for the residents of Cornwall”.

Mr Mason told the committee: “The intervention from the council was really critical and reflective on the quality of the proposals before you.”

He said that while the application includes proposals for a minimum of 35% affordable homes he was hopeful that there would be more than that when the development is complete.

“My personal aim is that we get closer to 45 or 50% of affordable housing but we can’t put that in the planning application as it would hinder the viability of the proposal.”

He added: “I think the council has put forward something that will be a real place, a real community and definitely won’t be a housing estate which we would have had with the previous applications.”

Dulcie Tudor, Cornwall councillor for Threemilestone and Chacewater and whose ward covers Langarth, asked Mr Mason about the proposed Stadium for Cornwall and what the land allocated for it would be used for if the stadium is not built.

Mr Mason said that the council was still working with the stadium partners but said that if the stadium is not built then there are protections in place to ensure that the land would be used for sports.

He said: “That land will be used, and can only be used, for sports pitches.”

The committee was told that there were no speakers in objection to the plans and that the application had been supported by local councils including Truro City Council and Kenwyn Parish Council.

Cllr Tudor said that she had been following the plans for Langarth from the start and said that as recently as 2019 there were concerns from people about “why build homes there at all”. But she said that feedback had now changed “strikingly”.

“Now, in the recent consultation, people are contacting me asking where they can put their names down for homes at Langarth and for their sons and daughters to have a home there.

“Everything is not rosy, and I am pleased that councillors are asking questions.”

Cllr Tudor said that it was important for “hard questions” to continue to be answered by the council as the plans progress.

She added: “I do wonder if there is an expectation for Langarth to be this great panacea and deliver all these solutions, but it can’t do that on its own.”

And she said that the decision for councillors was not simple: “There is still a public perception, and some members think, it is a binary choice of approving this application and allow a new town to be built or not and allow the fields to remain as they are.

“There are extant permissions for thousands of homes west of Langarth.”

Cllr Tudor said that this could mean that developers would build those or look for other sites around Truro to build on instead to provide the housing required.

She said that by approving the garden village would give the council greater control and able to provide environmental features, affordable homes and better quality development.

But she said that it was important that if approved the council “has the strength of will to stay firm” on the design code which will dictate the shape and look of the garden village.

Cllr Tudor said: “I support this application, warts and wall. There are warts but I think they can be resolved in reserved matters.”

Committee member Rob Nolan said he had been involved with Langarth plans for more than 10 years “from the beginning when I bitterly opposed” the previous plans.

He praised the work which had been done on the masterplan and said the council “have come as close as we can to a decent application”.

However he said he wanted to make sure that the aspirations of the plans are delivered: “We have all seen drawings of plans where people are drinking coffee and looking lovely but when it happens it doesn’t look anything like that.”

Louis Gardner said that as Mayor of Newquay he had seen the development of Nansledan and said that it should be a model for what could be done at Langarth.

He said that when the plans for Nansledan first came forward he was “mortified” but said that it was now a “thriving community”.

Cllr Gardner also said that 80% of the people living there have come from Newquay and that this had helped free up other local housing for local people.

The strategic planning committee voted unanimously to support approval of the planning application.