A BID to build five luxury houses in a Bodmin moor hamlet has been submitted to Cornwall Council.

Chevallier Developments are seeking to build the five dwellings on land to the south of Woodland Farm in Fentonadle, St Breward.

It had previously been a dairy farm prior to becoming of interest for redevelopment.

The proposals would comprise of two dwellings of four bedrooms each while three of the dwellings will accommodate five bedrooms.

It would increase the number of properties in the hamlet by 50 per cent if approved, with the ten properties in the vicinity being increased to 15.

The site has had a varied planning history. In 2023, outline planning permission was granted with some matters reserved for the construction of five houses when the land was under a different applicant.

However, since becoming of interest by Chevallier Developments, an application in 2025 seeking to build five dwellings was refused by Cornwall Council, who said: “The proposed scheme, by reason of its design, scale, layout and appearance, is out of keeping with its surroundings.

“It would, as a consequence of its form and prominence, be at odds with and fail to respond positively to the simple form and character of the immediate area and buildings within Fentonadle. The proposal would appear as an undesirable, incongruous form of development that would not promote local distinctiveness and would be harmful to the wider open aspect and mainly undeveloped rural character of its setting and the Area of Great Landscape Value.”

In its latest application, Chevallier Developments said its latest iteration of the plans addressed the concerns raised in the refusal and subsequent pre-application advice enquiry.

Among those is the layout of the site, which is now arranged into a ‘farmstead cluster’ with the properties in a semi-circle type formation in comparison to the previous linear formation.

Cornwall Council had also told the applicant that the design for the property on plot four of the site, with the new plans reducing its size in height and massing to address those concerns.

There would be no affordable house element on this development, and with the five dwellings falling under the required amount, no contribution would be made with the applicant’s planning agent stating: “In Designated Rural Areas, which cover much of Cornwall, developments of six dwellings or more are required to contribute, with schemes of 6-10 dwellings typically expected to provide a financial contribution in lieu of on-site delivery.

“In accordance with Policy 8, the proposed development comprises five dwellings and therefore falls below the threshold at which affordable housing is required.

“The principle of residential development on this site has already been firmly established through the 2024 planning permission, which confirmed that the redevelopment of the former dairy farm for housing is appropriate, sustainable and compliant with the development plan.

This application builds upon that approval by delivering an improved scheme that enhances environmental performance and continues to align with the spatial strategy for the settlement.”

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The plans can be seen using reference PA26/04929 on the Cornwall Council planning portal.