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..

Developer Gilbert & Goode has applied for planning permission to build 50 new homes, including affordable housing, on land in Lelant, near St Ives. The proposal for land near Tyringham Road also includes landscaping, open space and associated infrastructure.

The application is submitted as a rural exception scheme on the basis that it is affordable housing-led to address housing need in the local community. A supporting statement says: “The submission has been tested through comprehensive technical studies, which demonstrate that the development can be delivered appropriately on the site. As part of this work, the application has also been subject to a detailed viability assessment which concludes that a scheme of 50 dwellings can be viably delivered with 56 per cent (28) of the dwellings delivered as affordable homes and 44 per cent (22) being delivered as open market homes.

The application site is on approximately 2.25 hectares of land located at the western side of Lelant. It is bound to the north by Tyringham Road to the east and south by residential dwellings and to the west lies agricultural land and Trevenwyth Rural workshops.

The site is not subject to any statutory landscape constraints, such as National Landscapes, though it does sit close to the Area of Great Landscape Value designation. The southern portion of the site also sits within the Lelant Tree Preservation Order which was made in the 1960s.

That part of the site is proposed to be retained as open space, additional tree planting and drainage and there would be minimal intervention with any trees. A public right of way also lies adjacent to the south west boundary of the site which the proposals seek to link in to with a footpath from the development, creating a pedestrian link to the wider village.

In terms of the affordable housing tenure split, the proposed mix is 50 per cent social rent and 50 per cent shared ownership, with a mix of unit sizes proposed to reflect local need, taking into account local housing need requirements, along with issues of scheme viability and the physical features of the site.

The mix of accommodation across the site, is as follows:

Open market housing would comprise of 2 x 2 beds (2 storey houses), 10 x 3 beds (2 storey houses) and 10 x 4 beds (2 storey houses)

Affordable housing would comprise of 4 x 1 beds affordable social rent (1 storey maisonettes), 1 x 1.5 beds affordable social rent (1 storey bungalow), 6 x 2 beds affordable social rent (2 storey houses), 10 x 2 beds affordable shared ownership (2 storey houses), 4 x 3 beds affordable shared ownership (2 storey houses), 2 x 3 beds affordable social rent (2 storey houses) and 1 x 4 beds affordable social rent (2 storey houses).

The statement adds: “The scheme is defined by generous public open space, a rich integration of existing and proposed landscape features, and a strong emphasis on biodiversity. This is achieved through the introduction of new trees, wildlife habitat zone, ecological corridors, orchard planting, and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), all set within the context of the surrounding village and countryside.”

An application has been received for listed building consent to redevelop a site in Liskeard to include construction of 13 new residential properties, demolition of buildings to the rear of the Fountain Inn Hotel, demolition of a boundary wall, provision of external garden amenity areas and parking, soft and hard landscaping, blocking up of existing vehicle access and creation of a new access.

The application site, between Greenbank Road and Barras Place, is land which has previously benefited from planning permission for new residential development. More recently, the land has been identified as being untidy and having a negative contribution to the streetscene and character of the area.

A supporting statement says: “The scheme is put forward on the basis that it will provide much-needed new residential development in a sustainable town centre location, whilst resulting in the effective use of appropriate land. The redevelopment will also secure the tidying up and improvement of previous developed land. This will improve the streetscene, character of the area and benefit the setting of the conservation area.

The Fountain Hotel has previously been granted planning permission and listed building consent to convert into residential units. Permission has also been approved to demolish the existing buildings to the rear of the Fountain Hotel. Listed building consent has also been granted to demolish part of the stone boundary wall and reduce its height.

An application for permission in principle has been submitted for up to nine homes plus associated works near Church Street, Carharrack. The site is currently an area of scrub and shrubs.

To the north west are residential properties while to the west, beyond the B3298 and a gap of one field, is further housing. To the south and east are open fields. It is envisaged that there would be a mix of one- to four-bed houses of single and two storeys. Each home will have two parking spaces, in line with Cornwall Highways design guide.

A new access would be created along the western boundary with improvements made to the existing footpath.

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/voice-newspapers-series