EACH week, hundreds of planning applications come before Cornwall Council’s planning department, seeking to win approval for various plans right across the Duchy, with some concerning Holsworthy handled by Torridge District Council.

These plans can comprise of a number of different reasonings – ranging from permission to replace windows or listed building consent ranging up to large house building developments or changing of use of a building, for instance, from an office to a café, or flats.

Within this large and often complex system, there are a number of formats from which planning advice and approval can be sought.

These range from full applications where all the details which comprise a proposed development or work to a building are submitted, to outline applications, where further details are yet to be confirmed, for example, an outline application with reserved matters for appearance may not confirm the final proposed development but rather seek permission in principle.

An example of this is one for an outline permission for 20 dwellings on land with reserved matters for appearance and scale; the reserved matters would require further permission later for their inclusion.

Other types of applications include pre-application advice requests, where would-be developers submit often outline proposals to a local authority to ascertain whether it is likely to gain support or not prior to submitting a planning application.

The vast majority of applications are decided by planning officers employed by a local authority under ‘delegated powers’, meaning they do so on behalf of their employer, however, some applications are ‘called in’ by local councillors to be discussed at an area’s strategic planning committee meeting, meaning the final decision rests with a committee of councillors.

THE change of use of land for the siting of 43 holiday lodges has been approved by Cornwall Council despite a plethora of objections.

Atlantic Bay Holiday Parks Ltd applied to the local authority seeking permission to site 43 holiday lodges and associated infrastructure including internal roads, parking and bases on land at Atlantic Bays Holiday Park, St Merryn, Padstow.

The applicant told Cornwall Council: “The application site (is located within a rural setting adjacent the existing ABHP site with a former WWII airbase, St Merryn Airfield a private unlicenced airfield not in regular flight use, to the west, and farmland surrounding to the east and south.

“The site comprises of an area of some 1.6 hectares of agricultural land, albeit with hardstanding to the north-east and south-east boundaries associated with the historic use as part of the St Merryn Airfield.

“The existing Atlantic Bays Holiday Park (ABHP), provides a range of all year-round tourist accommodation, including luxury lodges, cabins, touring pitches and serviced and un-serviced camping pitches, all of an extremely high standard, set in attractive surroundings with exceptional facilities, security and customer care.

“Since COVID there has been a significant shift in holiday destination trends, with UK staycations now seen as a significantly more popular choice for holiday makers,. This has resulted in an increase in demand for holiday units at ABHP for holiday use.

“The proposed scheme has been conceived as a sustainable extension to the existing holiday park, which already caters for a range of tourist accommodation types but would meet the increasing demand and expectations of visitors for good quality accommodation in an attractive setting, sympathetic to the natural environment. 3

“The proposals seek to build on the success of the existing holiday park site through a modest expansion of the site onto this adjacent parcel of land, with an additional 44 no. high-quality holiday lodge units, capitalising on and supporting the increased demand for staycation accommodation in the UK.

“The proposals would provide valuable continued support for the existing successful tourism business through additional revenue streams resulting from the additional units and meeting demand for staycation accommodation, which also brings with it additional secondary spend opportunities, enabling the business and wider site operations to remain competitive in the tourism sector, and further in supporting the local economy.

“The proposals would provide additional tourist accommodation through a change of use of redundant agricultural land.”

17 objections were lodged by members of the public.

There were also concerns over the impact of the plans on the nearby St Merryn Airfield, an objection to which was overcome through the changing of some of the plans.

St Ervan Parish Council and St Merryn Parish Council also issued objections.

The planning officer, in approving the proposals, concluded: “When considering the overall planning balance, the economic benefits of the scheme, which are given significant weight in line with paragraph 85 of the NPPF 2024, together with the social and environmental benefits of this proposal, are considered to outweigh the identified minor landscape harm to the surrounding non-designated landscape and loss of agricultural land and tip the balance in favour of the proposed development and it is recommended for approval.

“All other matters raised have been taken into account, including the comments of the Parish Councils but none is of such significance as to outweigh the considerations that have led to the recommendation.”

It was approved subject to a number of conditions.

PLANNING permission is required for the conversion of an existing agricultural building into a dwelling at a property in Stratton.

Previous applications of a similar nature were also deemed to be requiring planning permission, with a conversion of the shed into three holiday lets also previously refused.

However, Cornwall Council’s planning department disagreed, noting: “It is considered that the site does not or has not been functioning as an agricultural unit; and rather is used for domestic purposes; the building houses domestic paraphernalia and does not appear to be in agricultural use. Insufficient evidence has been provided to demonstrate this is an established agricultural unit and therefore the proposal is not considered to fall within the definition of permitted development.

“The building is a flimsily clad timber shed, that would require a complete re-build to bring to a habitable standard. It does not represent a building of sound construction or historic merit and it would be inappropriate for residential conversion.”

Concluding, Cornwall Council stated that the plans would require planning permission, telling the applicant: “The proposal does not constitute permitted development under Class Q.(a, b, and c) of Class Q, Part 3, Schedule 2, of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development)(England) Order 2015, as amended, as the application has failed to demonstrate that the building is under an agricultural use as part of an established agricultural unit, or that the building is a former 'agricultural building' that was (but is no longer) part of an established agricultural unit. Therefore the development proposed cannot be regarded as permitted development.

“The proposed elevations for the conversion of this building to a dwelling show the introduction of a flue. This proposed flue has a height above 4m above the ground and would protrude over 0.2 metres from the existing external dimensions of the building.”

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