Safety concerns over 320 homes near Penzance Cornwall access

Cornwall Council’s west sub-area planning committee met on Monday to discuss for a second time an application by Devonshire Homes for an access road to its mooted 320-property development, after the matter was deferred last month.

Members had asked for more details of why the access wasn’t proposed to come off the A30 Treneere roundabout further up the road, which they considered would be a safer option.

The proposed work would see the widening of the road to create a right-turn lane and construction of a bridge over the Chyandour Stream, a main river, into the proposed Trannack Farm housing site, Heamoor. Concerns were raised about possible dangers, despite the council’s highways officer stating it would be safe.

The mayor of Penzance, Stephen Reynolds, addressed the meeting as a resident, on behalf of other residents, rather than as a member of Penzance Town Council.

He said: “Members may have seen a technical note submitted by Jon Pearson, a respected local highways engineer and former Cornwall Council highways officer with 30 years’ experience. His expert opinion is that the proposal is contrary to national policies and that the safety impact is severe and cannot be mitigated. He recommends refusal on that basis.”

Where the access road would be in relation to the Trannack Farm development and Penzance as a whole (Pic: Cornwall Council)

Mr Reynolds said there were concerns about the access’ effect on cyclists, pedestrians and mobility scooters. “Ask yourselves – would you want an elderly relative to exit this site on a mobility scooter to go down to the supermarket at Eastern Green? At the last meeting you were all unhappy to make a decision with inadequate information – that is still the case.”

Cllr Jan Power, representing Penzance Town Council, which objected to the application, told members about a fatal accident on the stretch of road: “I had the misfortune to be involved in supporting a fatality of an 11-year-old who was taking a shortcut and was hit by a car driven by a local schoolteacher, and the fallout from that was horrendous. You can put in toucan crossings but children will take shortcuts to get home for their tea.

“Our planning committee objected to it on safety grounds. Anything crossing that road or taking a right-hand turn to get in off that road is problematic.”

She said the council was puzzled why it was asked to consider the highway application separately from the 320-housing plans, when the two are connected. “We couldn’t see how we we could approve one without considering the other. The applicant very clearly wanted the two separated.”

Mark Rowe, for Devonshire Homes, said access from the roundabout would result in a significant cut that exceeds eight metres, to allow for road construction depth, and this would be entirely inappropriate and not deliverable.

Local member and former MP, Cllr Andrew George, said the separation of the two planning applications was “unjustifiable”, adding: “It’s a matter of great concern that we’re being asked to consider an access issue without properly seeing its connectivity to what will be developed from it.

“As you’ll notice, if the permission is granted for the 320 homes a very conspicuous site of developable land then becomes available to the east of that and one doesn’t know whether this access site will then be taking a far greater amount of traffic.

I think the advice provided to you by Devonshire Homes is almost taking the committee for fools because one would never go on to a site such as this and choose the steepest point to access the development.”

Cllr Mike Thomas said he felt like he was still being asked to agree to something where he can’t see the end product; a “road to nowhere” as he dubbed it at a previous meeting.

Despite their misgivings about the planning applications being considered separately, the committee voted in favour of the access by seven votes to four.