What proved to be one of the most controversial planning applications in Cornwall in recent years has just got a bit more contentious, writes Local Democracy Reporter Lee Trewhela.

A scheme by Manchester-based developer Salboy to demolish the Hotel Bristol in Newquay and replace it with 176 apartments and a 40-bedroom hotel was strongly opposed by the town’s council while more than 700 local people objected to the proposals.

However, Cornwall Council’s planning department approved the development earlier this year despite criticism that such a huge and derided application should have been discussed and decided by councillors at a planning meeting.

Now a bid by Salboy to modify the planning agreement to basically make a financial contribution to Cornwall Council rather than build previously approved affordable housing on the site at Narrowcliffe has been met with fury by Newquay Town Council. 

However, the move has been defended by Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for housing, himself a Newquay councillor.

Salboy wants to make a start on the development, but delays with the relocation of Narrowcliff Surgery to a bigger surgery at Newquay suburb Nansledan has slowed the process.

A meeting of the town council’s planning committee heard last week that Salboy wants the option, if delays persist, to deliver the affordable housing obligation in the form of a “site contribution” so that building can continue; in other words give Cornwall Council the requisite amount of money for them to deliver the affordable housing elsewhere.

Cornwall Council will have to make that decision after hearing from its affordable housing team.

The council’s planning chair Cllr Joanna Kenny said of the original approval: “This was extremely contentious and Cornwall Council rubberstamped it through – it rode a coach and horses through the Neighbourhood Plan. So basically they pushed this through on the basis they were going to provide affordable housing. They [the developers] are now saying we don’t want to provide affordable housing.

“I couldn’t object more strongly to their proposal to try and weasel out of providing affordable housing.”

Cllr Stephen Hick added that permission was granted because the provision of on-site affordable housing was “essential to the survival of Newquay”. He said that its replacement with an affordable housing payment could be spent by Cornwall Council in “Hayle, Liskeard or wherever the flipping heck they like and it will not benefit Newquay”. He said he wanted it minuted that he was “fuming and angry”.

Members of the council said they “weren’t in the remote bit surprised” to see the new application. “I thought the whole thing was disgraceful and this is now making it even more disgraceful,” added Cllr Kenny.

Councillors wished to make it clear that any modification to the Section 106 planning agreement resulting in a reduction in the affordable housing earmarked for Newquay would be objected to in the strongest terms and would be considered as undermining a key premise upon which the original permission was granted.

A spokesperson for Salboy told us: “We have no further comment at this time.”

However, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for housing Olly Monk, who represents Newquay Trenance ward, feels that the town council planning committee is being unfair. He told us that Salboy was definitely not “weaseling out” of its commitment to affordable housing.

Cllr Monk said Salboy wants to crack on with the first phase of the development, but has been hampered by a delay in Narrowcliff surgery moving to a purpose-built “super surgery” at Nansledan. The developer still want to build the second phase – the affordable element of 49-bedroomed over-55 accommmodation for social housing.

“They don’t want to be in the position of stopping the whole thing to wait until the doctors’ surgery moves, so Cornwall Council told them that the affordable contribution is £2.17m, a sizeable amount of money. If in the event in three to five years’ time when they’ve finished phase one and the surgery hasn’t then moved, they can give the council that £2.17m and because it’s tied into a Section 106 agreement, it would have to be delivered as affordable social housing in Newquay,” said Cllr Monk.

“The main focus is delivering the new surgery and it’s not anticipated that we would need to use the backstop of the £2.17m. That’s not Salboy weaseling out.”