Newspaper Column – The Cornishman – 28/04/25

Development pressures and the lop-sided planning system – fuelled by greed rather than need – dominated much of my time this week. 

I joined a well-attended public meeting in Ashton at the weekend. One of many local villages feeling itself swamped by a tidal wave of planning applications and developments in recent years, without the infrastructure to support it. These weren’t the cries of NIMBYs protecting property investments, nor without giving two hoots for the thousands of local families in housing need. It was a sincere concern about poor siting and design, and a realisation of what I’d also been banging on about for years… 

Cornwall is not a NIMBY territory. It’s grown faster than almost everywhere else in the UK. Almost trebled its housing stock in the last 65 years, yet the housing problems of locals have got worse! Cornwall’s a place where housebuilding targets have failed. 

Then I attended the West Cornwall planning committee. I’d referred a planning application for its consideration. I felt it was wrong that the Council was trying to grant itself planning permission on its own land behind closed doors. Council officers were effectively telling Councillors they could mark their own homework. Councillors needed to give this a further consideration before this week’s election. 

Don’t get me wrong. I strongly back the proposed 72 ‘extra care’ homes for locals in Heamoor. They’re much needed. But, this proposal had crucially changed since it was presented to local councillors and community last year. We’d been assured it would be all-affordable, for locals in perpetuity. However, when submitted for planning, it became just 21 homes (30%) for locals. The rest would be ‘commercial’, for profit and not for locals. 

Prime sites like this are irreplaceable public assets. We should ensure we maximise the local community and public benefit in perpetuity. 

I’m grateful the planning committee deferred the application. After all, the council election was just days away. It was better to wait till the new council is formed. This project could then be looked at afresh, with renewed vigour. 

The Prime Minister believes the country can be divided between “builders” and “blockers”. But disagreeing with some developments is for often good reason. It’s wrong to be bullied into permitted bad development. Our country is littered with disappointing examples of that! Some are poorly sited. Too many driven by greed, not need; others just heaping more pressure on already struggling infrastructure. 

In Parliament, we are now looking carefully at the Planning and infrastructure Bill. It’s at ‘committee stage’. I’m supporting many amendments which I hope the government will accept to improve the planning system; to meet need; control bad development; force developers to work with communities; if necessary, use compulsory purchase powers to ensure the right sites come forward; and ensure that every new development delivers local community benefit and enhances the infrastructure – health services, schools, public open space, sewerage, road safety etc.