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.

ADDITIONAL land across North and South East Cornwall could become subject to housing development in the coming years.

Amid the Government’s plans to substantially increase house building targets in order to meet their general election pledge, Cornwall Council has been asking land owners and other connected parties to submit sites for consideration for development in future strategic plans.

While it is not a guarantee that it will be developed on, it is a reliable indicator of where the major house building developments in the coming years is likely to come from and what developments may have the biggest impact on where.

An area of land offered could be considered for different uses; while the majority of that offered will be for residential use, some might be for commercial.

It should be noted that all sites featured are considered as ‘suggested’ and may not be allocated or supported in planning applications but are an indication of where larger developments are likely to be applied for.

In comparison to North Cornwall and parts of central Cornwall, a lot of the sites offered for development in South East Cornwall are smaller sites.

However, one of the largest single sites offered for development in Cornwall is a 373.48 hectacre site near to St Cleer, which is proposed for uses by residential, commercial and nature. This site is currently in a majority rural area, with the east of the site meeting Withey Brook Marsh with its nearest settlement at Minions.

The future expansion of Eastward could mostly centre on land adjacent to Charter Way with four plots of land offered as part of the call for sites.

However, a few miles away, between Menheniot and Trewint, a 38.6 hectare site, along with a 14.1 hectare site directly below it have been submitted for development which could potentially see a large expansion of the small village of Menheniot.

Bodmin is one place in Cornwall which has more prominent land being offered for development, particularly when combined with sites previously offered for house building in the town, some of which are already either constructed on or the subject of planning permission.

New sites offered for development mostly circle the town with the land primarily on the North, East, West and the South of the town in a ring-like formation.

One of the more notable sites proposed for development is in the Callywith and Cooksland areas of the town, near to the A30 northbound slipway.

This is currently the subject of a pre-application planning request by Devonshire Homes for the construction for a mixed residential and commercial development of 678 homes, a care home and commercial space with the company having an option on the land.

This is in addition to a 170 home development adjacent, currently under construction by Bunnyhomes on land at Castle Street, next to Callywith College.

At a recent meeting of Bodmin Town Council’s planning committee, it was decided that while supportive of the principle of more housing in the right places, councillors aired their concerns that while Bodmin had been the subject of several large housebuilding projects in recent years with several more going through the planning process, previously promised infrastructure had not transpired.

This includes a ‘northern relief road’ between Callywith and Dunmere, on the other side of the town to remove traffic from the A389 through the town and was previously estimated to cost £50 million several years ago in a feasibility study.

Other sites which could include new housing on this side of Bodmin include a 22 hectare site between Bodmin and Cardinham and two smaller sites of land to the south of the proposed site of the Devonshire Homes application to the north of Roseland Road.

In the often-congested west of Bodmin, three sites surrounding Berrycoombe School and Scarlett’s Well Road have been identified as well as land at Beacon Road and between Dennison Road and Fore Street.

A vast site of 52.3 hectares to the south of Halgavor Farm, already the subject of controversial plans at the adjacent Halgavor Moor has been identified for potential development in addition to land at Lanhydrock Golf Course, which together with other land offered could see the effective extension of Bodmin towards and including the hamlet of Kirland.

Land near to Polperro Road, near to East Looe could see a large expansion of houses, with a 74.2 hectare site offered as part of the call for sites process.

A large site adjacent to Liskeard Road at Trematon is among the larger sites offered for development, with five sites adjacent for each other being submitted to Cornwall Council for its approval.

One of the sites, a 11.63 hectare site could be used for a range of uses, namely residential, nature recovery or low carbon renewable energy.

Next to that is a 21.3 hectare site which could be used for residential uses.

Other parts of the wider Saltash area which could be set for a large expansion involves multiple parcels of land in the North Pill area, which would in effect develop the entire area surrounding the China Fleet Country Club.

At the Tamar Industrial Estate, a 26.92 hectare site could be used for an expansion of commercial uses in the area.

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