Developers hoping to knock down two houses and build eight new ones in their place on land near a Helston school have been given outline permission for the controversial project.
The existing plans look at access to the site only, with all details about the properties – including the specific amount to be built – to be decided in a further planning application.
Conditional approval was given to the project at Channel View, in Gander Lane, after amended plans were submitted.
These address concerns from the Highways Officer, who initially said that Gander Lane was narrow and it was difficult to access the site.
The officer noted the applicant, Rhosnoweth Developments Ltd, proposed to widen the lane to allow a car and pedestrians to pass each other, and after seeing amended plans showing the boundary line they considered the proposal acceptable, subject to the widening works being completed before anyone moved in.
The access lane will be widened to have a minimum width of 4.1m, which will involve repositioning the hedge further to the east and a new 2m high steel security fencing on the boundary with Helston Community College.
The plans also now show that an existing post box on Church Hill, currently embedded in the existing hedge, which would be lost through the removal of the boundary hedge, will be reinstated within the new hedge.
When the proposal was revealed by planning consultants Situ8, for the land next to Helston Community College, it caused upset from neighbours and the local community, with a 72-signature petition handed to Cornwall Council objecting to the plans. The developers said the two existing properties had fallen into disrepair and had been partially removed for safety reasons, following the death of the previous landowner.
Planning officers at Cornwall Council had recommended approval, despite acknowledging: “Given the close relationship of the site with its adjoining neighbours, there is the potential to lead to adverse harm from overlooking and/or overbearing.
“However, at this stage as the proposal is in outline form the exact details are not known. It will be for the reserved matters proposal to assess any potential harm and what will be key is the positioning and design of properties.
“A less dense scheme would allow for opportunity to position dwellings, and this is partly noted in that the development description is for up to eight dwellings. If eight dwellings are not achievable on the site, this would allow a reduced number to come forward which may mitigate some harm, but this will be borne out in a subsequent reserved matters proposal.”
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Conditions attached to the outline approval include no work beginning until a scheme had been approved in writing to mitigate the additional recreational pressures to the Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation.
The access and pedestrian pavement, with widening of the access lane, but be put in place before any other building or engineering works are carried out on the site, along with the hedge being replace on the eastern side of Gander Lane.
The reinstating of the post box is also a condition of approval.
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