CONTENTIOUS plans to build a desalination plant in Par have been blocked by a Government body.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has decided not to allow South West Water’s proposal to undertake test drilling for the marine pipeline to progress further.

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, was among those opposed to the plans the water company had decided to pursue following the heatwaves and water restrictions in recent years.

He said: “Before my election, I stood side by side with local residents against the proposal for the desalination plant at Par, who were concerned about the impacts on the environment and even local businesses affected by the construction.

“I have since met South West Water on a number of occasions to stress the importance of understanding the environmental impact and exploring alternative means of ensuring our water security.

“I am relieved to see that the MMO has chosen not to allow this proposal to progress further.”

South West Water stated that the plant was needed to provide water security in the coming decades in the face of challenges posed by climate change.

The plans included the installation of two pipelines into the bay, one to abstract the seawater for desalination and one to discharge the concentrated brine back into the sea.

The Desalination Information Group (DIG), which campaigned against the proposed plant, argued that the expensive plant was not required, saying Cornwall was one of the wettest counties in the country and that South West Water should improve its record on water leakage.

DIG, which has been actively holding information days to get its message across to the public, fears such a plant would cause environmental damage, stating the plant poses a threat to environmentally sensitive seagrass, the maerl, and the endangered and protected seahorses that make St Austell Bay their home.