WHILE a large number of Bude residents welcomed the decision of the Cornwall Council (East Area Planning Committee), last Thursday evening, to recommend refusal of Catesby Property Group's outline planning application for development at Binhamy Farm, Bude, the developer has said the town will miss out on the jobs it would have generated.

The proposal comprised some 450 new homes (of which 40 per cent would be affordable housing, including an Extra Care Facility), additional jobs as part of an extension to the Bude Business Park and a small retail development (opposite Morrisons super­market) including a discount foodstore and up to five non-food retail units. The plans also included a new Care Home for the town.

In commenting on the decision, Paul Brockle­hurst, chief executive of Catesby, said: "Catesby are clearly disappointed by the decision, not least because we were in final negotiations with Lidl in respect of the discount foodstore and in advanced discussions with a several non-food retailers, including a value fashion retailer. This would have delivered around 30-40 full time 'all year round' jobs during the recession. We are also talking to a local Care Home operator whose investment would also have led to new jobs for Bude."

Despite being recommended for approval by officers, the application was rejected unanimously by council members, in what was the first East Area Planning Committee meeting of the new Cornwall Council.

John Acres Catesby Planning Director, who presented the company's case at the meeting, added: "Catesby has worked closely with the authority and with the various consultees to resolve all their concerns. For example, we have received clean bill of health from the Environment Agency (on flood risk), from English Heritage (on the archaeological issues and the relationship of the scheme with the adjacent Binhamy Castle Ancient Monument) and from the County Council (on highway grounds). The proposal also includes a generous package of benefits for health and educational provision.

"The Binhamy Farm site has been identified for some time as the most sustainable location for future development in Bude. We feel it is important to plan ahead and to provide the new homes and jobs which people need."

The application has now been referred by the East Area Planning Committee to a future Strategic Planning Committee.

Mr Brocklehurst added: "Catesby will now need to consider what are the next steps that we should take in respect of this application."

Despite the disappointment of the developers, residents who opposed the plans were delighted with the outcome.

Cornwall Council received 53 letters of objection to the application and just four of support, with critics saying they were opposed to the scale and nature of the proposed development.

Lucille Opie said following the refusal of the application, there was some confusion as one of the officers suggested to the councillors that it could now go to the Strategic Planning Committee as stated in the new constitution.

She said: "We therefore wait and see, but feel confident that the Strategic Planning Committee will also see no justification for the Catesby development when the infrastructure is not in place, and agencies such as the Environment, the Primary Care Trust, South West Water and the Education Authority have expressed concerns. The Bude and District Old Cornwall Society too feel that Binhamy Castle would be very vulnerable and at considerable risk."

Janet Feasey said it was "heartwarming" to see the councillors refuse the application, but she also questioned why the decision was made for the application to go before the Strategic Planning Committee.

She said: "Apart from anything else, what a waste of time and money for everyone concerned, if it was to go to the Strategic Planning Committee anyway. Cornwall Council are always piously declaring their intention to save tax payers' money, now having paid these councillors' expenses, travelling, etc, they are going to pay another group of councillors another lot of expenses, travelling, etc — what a way to save tax payers' money!

"It is to be hoped that the councillors on the Strategic Planning Committee will feel as their colleagues evidently did on Thursday, that this development is much too large and in the wrong place."

She added: "Although the first round has gone to the objectors, there is a long way to go and it is a case of fight and fight to the bitter end