A PLAN for housing beside a main road into St Austell has been opposed by the town council.

A new “quickie” planning application has been put into Cornwall Council for the building of up to nine homes in a field, west of the town’s arts centre, off the A390 Truro Road.

Because the application has been submitted under the new simplified “permission in principle” route no details of the housing are given.

The applicant for the scheme is Ms RA Eldridge, of St Neot, with the agent being Peter Wonnacott, of Bude.

Mr Wonnacott said the permission in principle route, for smaller scale developments, has two stages. The first is about establishing whether the site is suitable in principle for development, without design and landscape matters being considered, and the second involves assessing detailed proposals.

The proposal put forward for the agricultural field on the south side of Truro Road is for a minimum of five homes and a maximum of nine. The field is surrounded by mature trees and hedges. Land to the south of the field has planning permission for housing development.

Mr Wonnacott said the proposed homes would round off development on the western edge of St Austell.

A map showing where the homes would be developed in St Austell. (Picture: Cornwall Council)
A map showing where the homes would be developed in St Austell. (Picture: Cornwall Council) (Picture: Cornwall Council)

However, St Austell town councillors have expressed concern about the small number of homes proposed for the site.

And they said that access to the development should not be from the busy A390.

They voted to object to the application on the grounds of inefficient use of land and concerns regarding the proposed access onto the A390.

The councillors also expressed the view that it is important to create well-designed properties on the approach to St Austell and that affordable housing should be incorporated into any proposal put forward.

Cornwall Council will have the final say on the application.

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