The inspector hearing the appeal against the refusal of a bid to build homes on Budock Water’s ‘green buffer’ has been told she must listen to the people of the village.

A hearing is currently taking place at Tremough into a refusal of an application from Persimmon Homes to build 40 homes on two medieval fields separating Falmouth and Budock.

Persimmon Homes had applied to build the homes and infrastructure on the “greenfield site” off Bickland Hill.

The application was refused by Cornwall Council's planning committee in March despite being recommended for approval by the planning officer.

The informal hearing started at 10am yesterday (September 28) in Tremough Innovation Centre, Tremough Campus, Penryn. A site visit is expected to take place today (September 29).

During the meeting, Cornwall councillor for the area David Saunby told the inspector that she must listen to the people of Budock Water.

“I’m here to represent the people of Budock,” he said “and it makes it clear that they do not want housing built on the fields on their side of boundary. I just want to make that point clear.

“There their fields they should have a major say in this, because, if you do build on these fields, Budock will be joined to Falmouth and you can’t get away from that fact.”

He added: “I think you’ve got to really listen to the people of Budock.”

Falmouth Packet: A computer generated image of how the homes would lookA computer generated image of how the homes would look (Image: Supplied)

A resident of the village told the inspector that the development would have a big impact on Budock Water.

“We see urbanisation creeping further and further towards the village and that’s not being taken into consideration,” she said. “We are a rural village and we can already see houses going up the hill.”

She said Persimmon were going to bring houses right up to the edge of the village.

“It is going to effect the people of Budock,” she said. “How far do we have to go to say 'enough is enough?' ”

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A representative from Persimmon said that the answer was no further than this appeal. He said the gap remains the gap.

Another member of the public said if the inspector went on the public footpaths she would see the stepped stiles which were built in order to carry a coffin across them into the church.

“Now if you uphold the appeal here you will be carrying Budock Water’s coffin down to the Falmouth church not to Budock Parish Church,” he said.

Earlier a representative from Persimmon Homes told the inspector that many of the objections to the application were not actually relevant to the site they wanted to build on.

The hearing continues today.