A property developer proposes to scale back the number of dwellings on the next phase of its housing development in Newquay.

Treveth, which was created by Cornwall Council to build homes for people living in the county, has submitted a detailed planning application to construct 349 properties on land at Trevithick Manor Farm.

Outline planning permission was granted in March 2017 for the erection of circa 455 dwellings at the site.

The plans were altered as the outline scheme “appeared” to fall short in meeting a number of detailed planning considerations such as incompatibility with existing hedgerows.

Kendall Kingscott on behalf of Treveth, in the planning statement said: “The purpose of the document is to demonstrate, clarify and justify the proposed amendments to the phase four element of the development.

“These changes primarily relate to the rationalisation of the site layout to better respond to the steep existing topography, as well as the replacement of certain house types with more efficient unit designs.

“The original layout is incompatible with existing site hedgerow layout and would require extensive hedgerow removal.

“There is often a conflict between balancing the restrictions imposed by existing field patterns and optimising development areas to accommodate a development grain that follows conventional urbanised ideas about placemaking and streetscapes.

“The inclusion of the minimum three metre protection buffer and avoiding hedges forming boundaries to private rear gardens reduces the effective development area of the site.

“The proposals have sought to reconcile these potentially conflicting parameters.

“Building frontages did not appropriately address site edges and public streets.

“In particular the main A392 edge had back gardens to properties forming main public frontage to road.

“The layout did not provide sufficient connections and green infrastructure routes through the site and out to wider Newquay networks.

“The layout did not appear to deliver a parking ratio of two spaces per dwelling as requested by Cornwall Council Highways officer.

“A detailed assessment based on current legislation has indicated the need to increase the overall size of surface water detention areas on site.

“These have to be formed on land lying outside the floodplain, which further reduces the area of land available for building footprints.

“The layout was also tested against Treveth Home’s proposed house types and mix, which highlighted its house types offer improved space standards over those of many volume developers.

“This applies nationally designated space standards across all tenures.

“The larger footprint prevented a direct like for like swap with the smaller footprints proposed by the original applicant at outline submission stage.

“Treveth have undertaken an updated review of local need which has indicated a reduced demand for apartments in this part of Newquay.

“The original outline masterplan had assumed a larger proportion of apartments as a means to increasing site density and the number of dwellings per hectare.

“The reserved matters masterplan that has been developed through the detailed assessment and design process has sought to reconcile these points.”

Newquay Town Council’s planning and licensing committee is due to discuss the plans at its meeting on Wednesday, April 1.