Each month, I present a written report to both St Dennis Parish Council and St Enoder Parish Council. The report for October is as follows:
1. Council and other meetings
Physical Cornwall Council meetings in the last month included Cornwall Growth Board; Corporate, Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee, plus an associated “task and finish group” working on “Customer Philosophy: Face to Face Customer Services” and an Asset Management Workshop; a meeting of the China Clay Area and Luxulyan Community Area Partnership and a meeting with the local Network Officer on a “refresh” to the China Clay Strategy.
I was also one of the Cornwall Councillors who attended the last quarterly meeting of the Cornwall Youth Council.
Meetings via video-conferencing meanwhile included Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee; an agenda setting session for the Constitution and Governance Committee; Fifth Nation Working Group and associated pre-agenda session; a session with the planning policy team about Neighbourhood Plans, a meeting about revisions to the unitary authority’s Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and a member briefing on the same SPD, plus a planning training session on renewable energy (solar and wind); Group Leader meetings (three); a meeting for Cornwall Councillors from across the China Clay and Luxulyan Community Area Partnership.
I have attended meetings of both St Dennis Parish Council and St Enoder Parish Council (three).
Other meetings included the Trelavour Community Liaison Group and an associated recruitment event at Treviscoe Community Hall; and the Fraddon Village Hall Committee.
2. Cornwall Local Plan
In previous reports, I have written about how I had requested Cornwall Council’s ruling Cabinet set up a “Local Plan Committee” so that elected members can be fully involved with producing the next set of planning policies for Cornwall.
I attended the recent meeting of the Cornwall Growth Board on Thursday 9th October, at which members of the Cabinet agreed a proposal to create an “informal working group” to “provide cross party Member perspectives and input to the Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Localism and Planning on the development of the Local Plan to inform them in their consideration of issues and advice to Cabinet through the Growth Board.”
I will be doing my utmost to ensure that the views of people in the China Clay Area are properly presented to the Growth Board.
3. New highways scheme
Cornwall Council has just confirmed that there will be a new highways scheme, which will be called the Community Highways Improvement Programme. It has been confirmed that for each of the next three years, £47,320 will be made available to be spent on highway improvements or road safety measures within the four divisions of the China Clay Area and Luxulyan CAP.
Officials are seeking expressions of interest for schemes for year one by the end of December 2025.
In the coming weeks, I will be liaising with both St Dennis and St Enoder Parish Councils about possible schemes.
4. “Report it”
I continue to report a number of local issues of concern to residents. If you spot any problems, you can also report it yourself through Cornwall Council’s website at: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/report-something/
ST DENNIS PARISH
5. Cornish Lithium
I attended the most recent Trelavour Community Liaison Group meeting on 21st October, at which there was a discussion around the Terms of Reference for the group. This followed a session at Treviscoe Community Centre, one week previously, at which people interested in joining the group could find out more.
At the meeting, I argued that the Liaison Group had to be open to as many voices as possible, including people who remain extremely critical of the project.
6. Play area in Hall Road
I am pleased that the transfer of the Hall Road play area to St Dennis Parish Council continues to progress and I look forward to the whole area being revamped with new equipment.
It was good to visit a number of play areas in Clay Country on 21st October with the Parish Clerk and Cllrs Jennifer Burnett and Tanya Edmunds, to get ideas about what equipment and safety surfaces would be best for Hall Road.
7. Closure of Wellington Road
Local residents continue to be concerned that Wellington Road is still closed following the works by Cornwall Council and South West Water to repair a hollow. The hollow has been dealt with and the road resurfaced. The present ongoing delay is that new legislation means that it must be tested for contaminants before the Council can decide how to dispose of it.
ST ENODER PARISH
8. Planning matters
8.1 – Planning policy and Neighbourhood Plans
I have previously reported about the decision of the UK Government to impose a higher housing target on Cornwall. As a consequence, council officers have decided that we longer have a “five-year land supply” and that therefore (i) housing policies in the Cornwall Local Plan can no longer be given weight in the deliberation of planning applications and that (ii) housing policies in most NDPs – including that of St Enoder Parish – are out-of-date.
I had a meeting about NDPs and housing policies with the policy team on Thursday 9th October, but I made no meaningful progress with them.
Also as previously reported, I referred an application for four open-market houses off Heather Meadow in Fraddon (PA25/03870) to a meeting of the Central Planning Committee on 22nd September – because it was against St Enoder Parish’s NDP. It was sadly agreed.
St Enoder Parish Council has objected to three further applications for open-market housing, which Cornwall Council wishes to consent. These are all in areas which the NDP states should only be built on in exceptional circumstances (eg. for affordable local-needs housing). These are:
- PA25/05351 / A Planning in Principle (PIP) for between seven-nine housing units to the east of Redgate Farm, Indian Queens.
- PA25/05740 / A full planning application for five housing units in Higher Fraddon.
- PA25/05705 / A PIP for one housing unit in Higher Fraddon.
I have referred all three applications to the Central Planning Committee, and it is likely that they will be considered on Monday 17th November.
8.2 – Planning appeal [PA23/09094]
An application for open-market housing off Pit Lane, Indian Queens, was refused by Cornwall Council back in April 2024. It was in an area, which the NDP sought to protect from development.
However, a Government planning inspector has just over-ruled that decision and granted consent. The Inspector agreed with most of the reasons for the refusal, stating that the site was neither infill or rounding-off, but allowed the appeal anyway as Cornwall doesn’t have a “five-year land supply” based on the top-down target.
It is all so, so frustrating – especially as (i) the Inspector also ignored the reality that there are already extant planning permissions for over 300 dwellings in St Enoder Parish and (ii) the Government says it wants more affordable housing, but it is sanctioning policies which allow open-market housing where there should be local-needs housing.
9. Penhale to St Columb Road feasibility study
As previously reported, a feasibility study was carried out at my request on the road between Penhale and the Halloon Roundabout. Two local interventions have been worked up. These are a safety build-out and associated parking bay at Ridgewell Terrace, Fraddon, plus modifications to the roundabout and the alignment of approach roads at the bottom of Fraddon Hill.
A 21-day consultation on the proposals ended in October.
I have been informed that 39 people engaged with the proposals on the Council’s “Let’s Talk Cornwall” platform. Of these, 23 opened the proposal drawings, but only one response was received. In addition, four responses of support were received, along with one which raised concerns about aspects of the scheme.
Cornwall Council have decided to progress with the construction works. I share the timescales for the work as soon as I have them.
SUPPORT FOR LOCAL FAMILIES
10. Advice
In addition, I have assisted numerous households and individuals with guidance and advice on a range of topics.