PLANNERS are considering a proposal for 14 new houses at Upton Cross, north of Liskeard.

The scheme is being put forward by local company DJW Build Ltd, with the development to be located on land between the Sterts Centre and the eastern edge of the village.

At this stage, an outline planning application has been submitted, with traffic access the only matter to be considered in detail by planning officers.

Vehicular access is proposed from the road out of Upton Cross toward Rilla Mill, to the south of the development site.

There will also be pedestrian access to connect with an existing footpath to the northwest.

Traffic calming measures will be provided by the applicant on the adjacent road and will include metre-wide coloured strips across the carriageway, and ‘Pedestrians in Road Ahead’ signs affixed to existing posts.

The current planning application is a re-submission of an outline plan approved in 2021, following the withdrawal of an earlier scheme for 20 houses which the local planning authority had deemed too large.

The reduction in the number of houses reflects the importance of the Cornish hedgerow bounding the site and the requirement to achieve a biodiversity net gain of 10 per cent. The fields are currently “patchy, semi-improved grassland” used for horses, according to a Western Ecology assessment.

The applicant says that rather than seeking to “cram houses in” they are aiming to provide a high-quality, low density housing development where biodiversity will thrive.

The development is classed as a “rural exception” scheme as it would be located just outside of the settlement boundary of Upton Cross. Seven of the 14 homes are to be for affordable rent or sale, with the remaining seven to be open market dwellings.

The application notes that the Homechoice register states how 17 households in Upton Cross are in housing need.