EACH week, hundreds of planning applications come before Cornwall Council’s planning department, seeking to win approval for various plans right across the Duchy.

These plans can comprise of a number of different reasonings– ranging from permission to replace windows or listed building consent ranging up to large house building developments or changing of use of a building, for instance, from an office to a café, or flats.

Within this large and often complex system, there are a number of formats from which planning advice and approval can be sought.

These range from full applications where all the details which comprise a proposed development or work to a building are submitted, to outline applications, where further details are yet to be confirmed, for example, an outline application with reserved matters for appearance may not confirm the final proposed development but rather seek permission in principle.

An example of this is one for an outline permission for 20 dwellings on land with reserved matters for appearance and scale; the reserved matters would require further permission later for their inclusion.

Other types of applications include pre-application advice requests, where would-be developers submit often outline proposals to a local authority to ascertain whether it is likely to gain support or not prior to submitting a planning application.

The vast majority of applications are decided by planning officers employed by a local authority under ‘delegated powers’, meaning they do so on behalf of their employer, however, some applications are ‘called in’ by local councillors to be discussed at an area’s strategic planning committee meeting, meaning the final decision rests with a committee of councillors.

A former branch of Lloyds Bank in Looe could become a wine bar.

The pre-application request to Cornwall Council on behalf of the applicants, Mr and Mrs D O’Neill of Ilminster, Somerset, would see the former bank branch transformed into a ground floor wine bar with a residential unit sited above it.

The pre-application request submitted to the local authority concerns heritage advice, requesting that a site visit is undertaken by the council’s planners to assess the impact that the conversion into a wine bar with residential above could have on the site.

The residential unit would be occupied by the applicants, who would operate the proposed venue on the ground floor.

In the application submission, the applicants stated: “The building is Grade II listed, within Looe Conservation Area. Originally two dwellings, it was formerly a doctor’s surgery, thereafter a branch of Lloyds Bank. Former uses have resulted in substantial alterations to the interior and erosion of heritage values and significance. Its significance lies largely in its street facing façade which contributes to the C19 character of the development along Fore Street.

“Proposals are at an early stage of development but include comprehensive refurbishment of the whole building to provide the applicant’s home, and commercial space to the ground floor.”

More than 23,000 homes which have received planning permission still haven’t been built in Cornwall. The stark figure is revealed in a new Cornwall Council briefing paper.

Cornwall, which is in the midst of a housing crisis, currently has around 27,000 families on the waiting list for social housing but the Duchy only has 10,000 council houses and 22,000 housing association homes. There are also approximately 8,000 families in emergency or temporary accommodation.

There are 24,300 holiday let properties in Cornwall, which has increased by 30 per cent in the past five years, as well as over 13,000 second homes registered in the county.

The council’s economic growth and development scrutiny committee asked for an update on the number of homes with planning consent within Cornwall which had not been delivered; both local authority and private sector housing.

The briefing paper has just been shared with councillors and shows that to the end of March 2024 there were approximately 26,300 homes with extant permissions – 23,500 of which have not yet started being built.

There are existing planning permissions for 6,100 affordable homes, while 2,800 houses (including 400 affordables) were actually under construction by that date.

Separately, the council’s arm’s length construction company Treveth identified that they currently have 141 affordable homes under construction with a further 527 in the pipeline to be delivered. These are part of housing schemes and mixed use schemes.

Olly Monk, the council’s Conservative portfolio holder for housing, said there were various reasons why there is such a high number of pending builds.

“A lot of those are major housing schemes that are starting to come out of the ground. For instance, Langarth is in that equation – that’s nearly 4,000 homes – and lots of other big-scale stuff that’s not necessarily finished but it is in the process of being started and worked on.”

He also pointed out that around 6,000 to 8,000 of those permissions are affected by issues with phosphates in the River Camel, which was highlighted to Cornwall Council by Natural England in 2021. It has meant Cornwall Council pausing certain developments in that part of Cornwall.

“Quite often what happens is although an individual or a developer may get a planning application through the system, they often don’t go ahead and build for various reasons, usually to do with viability or demand,” added Cllr Monk.

“Obviously right now with the uncertainty of what the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement will say, the current interest rates, the rise of building costs – it’s quite an obvious thing that house builders only build something if they know they can sell it at the end. A lot of it is due to the current economic climate.”

Independent councillor for the Roseland, Julian German, highlighted the number of homes with permission which haven’t been built on his X/Twitter account, adding: “The problem with getting homes built is with developers land banking, not with the planning system.”

Land banking is the practice where a property developer purchases land with the intention of developing it in the future. Land banking can be a lucrative investment in areas where land values increase rapidly. However, it can also prevent property demand being met.

“I think people do bank land, but I don’t think they intend to bank land with a big planning application in mind, simply because it costs a lot of money to develop that space,” Cllr Monk told us

He hopes the Government’s plans to overhaul the planning process to increase housebuilding across the country will benefit Cornish families.

“The new Government’s got a good opportunity with the revised planning regulations, which they’re going to bring in just before Christmas, to ensure there’s more than just a speculative approach to gaining applications; there are stricter criteria on start dates.”

Cllr Monk added: “Given the fact we’ve now been tasked by the Government with building 4,500 homes a year, which equates to 65,000 extra homes by 2050, then it’s inevitable that we are going to see more housebuilding in Cornwall. If we don’t get the right type of housing built, which local people can afford to buy or rent, it simply means that the existing properties are going to become more expensive.

“I’m hoping the Government will make it easier to build those developments where the top price is £40,000 but where there are also lots of starter homes that are £250,000, with 30 per cent of the whole scheme being affordable. So it offers that staircase to £400,000 which a local couple can aspire to.”

Keep up to date with the latest planning applications and other statutory notices (such as alcohol licensing and probates) that affect where you live by visiting our online Public Notice Portal – be the first to know by visiting www.publicnoticeportal.uk/cornish-times-series.