Cornwall councillors have thrown out plans for an affordable housing-led development in a village near Penzance after hearing it would have a detrimental effect on the area's important mining heritage.
Ms S Durbin had applied for permission in principle to build between seven and nine houses on land north east of of Mendhu in St Hilary, close to the village school and within the Tregonning and Gwinear Mining Districts World Heritage Site (WHS).
A meeting of Cornwall Council's west area planning committee heard on Monday, July 22, that since the application was submitted, the St Hilary Neighbourhood Development Plan had been passed which holds "considerable weight" and the application was now recommended for refusal as a result of its policies.
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The benefits of affordable housing need in the area were now deemed to be outweighed by conflict with the neighbourhood plan. These include it being a rural exception site away from other development and that approval would result in building over the remains of a former mineworkers' smallholding, which is one of the key attributes of the world heritage site status.
Jane Howells, from St Hilary Parish Council, said her council strongly opposed the application as it wasn't close enough to the existing built-up area and quoted an appeal judge who said the area was not suitable for housing. She said a public meeting in the village was unanimous in its opposition.
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Cllr Howells said the council was supportive of social housing "in the right places and on the right scale", but believed this application was not supportable as a rural exception site. She added that mining heritage was very important in the area and that miners' smallholdings in St Hilary were disappearing. The introduction of a modern housing estate would permanently affect the area's historic mining character, she added.
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Local member Cllr John Martin called the application before committee because of his own concerns and support for the parish council. The application was unanimously refused at the meeting at Kresen Kernow in Redruth.
