Newquay Town Council has unanimously agreed to take action on the increasing collapses at the Whipsiderry cliffs following stabilisation work being carried out ahead of the construction of luxury houses.

Councillors have requested an enforcement action that would see all works halted until a full review of the permissions granted is undertaken.

They voted to ask the Marine Management Organisation what account it took of Cornwall Council’s objection as the Cliff Protection Authority before they granted the works a license.     

Councillors also agreed to ask Cornwall Council to review the planning permission that accepted the proposed works in 2022, in defiance of the Shoreline Management Plan, the Newquay Neighbourhood Plan and the new Cornwall Council’s Climate Change policies. 

They are additionally calling for an independent assessment of risk of injury or death to the contractors working under the cliffs.

Councillors and campaigners aim to put a stop to the works ahead of September 1 when the developer’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO) license permits the scheme to start again following the nesting season coming to an end.

The developer needs to carry out the cliff reinforcement works, which involves excavating sea caves with heavy machinery, drilling into the rock and inserting steel rods and filling the caves with concrete, including part of the cliff face above, ahead of building seven luxury villas on the clifftop above on the site of the former Paradise Cover Hotel.

Save Whipsiderry Cliffs group has staged various protests against the cliff being concreted as they believe it would ruin the picturesque area and would be detrimental to wildlife.

Newquay Town Council discussed the issue at its meeting last week, where members of the campaign group asked councillors various questions.

Cllr Joanna Kenny said: “We are rapidly running out of time until September 1 when the MMO license permits the works to start again.

“The council had already written to the MMO, identified by Cornwall Council as the final arbiter on permission to interfere with the cliffs; though that is perplexing as its Cornwall Council that is the Cliff Protection Authority.   

“I consider the MMO response inadequate and we have requested these again as these are key to confirming the works were carried out according to the license conditions.

 “Not least whether the original restriction as to what could be lowered down the cliffs was changed.    

“We already have reports of effects to the rock strata immediately under where a large crane was placed to lower heavy equipment – effects which could eventually meet the current series of falls migrating upwards towards the top of the cliff through increasingly friable rock and could result in a large scale fall due to the undercutting of the top of the cliff, right into the area of the proposed building development.

“We will asked again what account the MMO took of Cornwall Council’s objection as the Cliff Protection Authority before they granted the works a license.     

“The MMO has stated they are reviewing this license, we are hoping that can make enough noise to ensure that this time they visit the site to see for themselves.

“Meanwhile, not letting Cornwall Council off the hook, I proposed via the planning and licensing committee, a cross-party motion, unanimously supported by all Councillors, to review the planning permission that accepted the proposed works in 2022, in defiance of the Shoreline Management Plan, the Newquay Neighbourhood Plan and the new Cornwall Council’s Climate Change policies.    

“A permission which was apparently based on a single diagram from a 2019 update of a 2016 update of an original 2012 engineering report that recommended something completely different.    

“Works that now, since the falls have changed the cliff face, surely can no longer be carried out according to the plans?

“And a permission took no account of the possible risks to the cliffs now horribly self-evident, to the workmen involved and to the members of the public who seem to have no awareness of the dangers that now exist on Whipsiderry Beach. 

“Newquay Town Council, therefore, has requested an enforcement action that would see all works halted until a full review of the permissions granted is undertaken, and adding for good measure the excellent proposal of the Save Whipsiderry Cliff group, for a full, independent assessment of risk of injury or death to the contractors working under the cliffs.

“A second question concerning the closing of the footpaths across the site was far more complex and it was agreed that this issue has been delegated to the next planning and licensing committee in two weeks to sort out the new evidence and propose appropriate action.”