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.

Consultants overseeing the refurbishment of the headquarters of a local town council has applied to Cornwall Council’s planning department to overhaul a condemned heater system.

At present, significant parts of Bodmin Town Council’s Shire House complex has been left without heating after its existing boiler was condemned. Other parts rely on electric heating, such as out-dated storage heating systems.

Ward Williams Associates, on behalf of Bodmin Town Council is proposing to change that, with existing radiators reused wherever possible.

They said: “Shire House was built by local architect Joseph Pascoe in 1840 to the east of Shire Hall to accommodate the judges. The building consists of three storeys and a basement. There are five symmetrical windows on the first and second floor, and both ground floors have central doorways. This is repeated on both West and North elevations. The West front has a 20th century glazed porch standing on original moulded granite steps; tripartite inner door-way with original segmental-arched fanlight.

“The North front has original over light with margin panes over 20th century door approached by 20th century ramp on the right. The East front has three bays with similar detail and a large 20th century ground floor extension. The building is used on an ad hoc basis by the community and other private hirers but there is no one cohesive use.

“The proposal is to replace the boiler and heating system within Shire House due to the existing boiler being recently condemned, leaving several areas of the building unheated. The existing boiler is to be replaced with a Remeha Quinta Ace 90 gas boiler which allow the wet system to be extended and supply all areas of the building, eliminating the need to rely on night storage/ electric heaters. Where viable the existing cast iron radiators will be reused, and all new cast iron radiators installed will match the existing as far as practicable.

“The existing modern steel radiators, electric heaters and night storage heaters will all be replaced with Stelrad Softline radiators to achieve a more unified appearance throughout. With Bodmin Town Council’s plan to move the museum into the ground floor of Shire House, greater atmospheric stability and temperature control is required. This will be achieved by the installation of underfloor heating to these rooms.”

The application, under reference PA24/05791 is currently under consideration by Cornwall Council.

A property in Launceston is set to receive a balcony after proposals for its construction were approved by the local authority.

The application, concerning 7 Windmill Park, Launceston, was conditionally approved by Cornwall Council.

The additional condition read: “Prior to the first use of the balcony sited on the east elevation of the dwelling, a 1.8m high privacy screen shall be fitted along the northern elevation of the balcony and shall thereafter be retained without alteration in perpetuity. Reason: In the interests of preventing overlooking of the neighbouring property 8 Windmill Park.”

Proposals for a development to ‘provide four residential dwellings and an expansive area of ecological enhancement and publicly accessible open space with circular walks that local residents and visitors to the area can utilise’ near Bude is unlikely to be supported.

That’s the response of Cornwall Council’s planning department to a pre-application advice enquiry by Taylor Wentworth Limited concerning land east of Chyvarton, Upton, Bude.

A previous application for two dwellings on the land was refused in 2018 on the following grounds: “The site is considered to be outside of the settlement of Upton and is not in a location that would be considered rounding off and is therefore situated within the countryside where no special circumstances have been put forward.

“The development would result in the undesirable extension and intrusion of residential development into the countryside and that would be prominent to the detriment of the rural landscape appearance and character, failing to conserve or enhance the landscape in this part of the Cornwall Area of Great Landscape Value.”

A subsequent appeal was also rejected on the following grounds: “The refusal and dismissed appeal were considered under the current Cornwall Local Plan and Bude-Stratton Neighbourhood Development Plan and there have been no changes to the development plan since. The previous refusal and dismissed appeal are therefore a material consideration in any future planning application.”

The response concluded: “Based on the information supplied I can advise that an application for the development of the site for four dwellings is unlikely to gain officer support.”

A change of use application to convert a barn into a dwellinghouse near Camelford has been approved by Cornwall Council.

The application concerned buildings adjacent to number two Trefrew Road, Camelford, by Helen and Hadyn Wood.

The approval was subject to a number of conditions. These included the construction of drainage amid concerns over the impact of development in the hydrological catchment of the River Camel, the submission of boundary treatments, and the incorporation of bat and bird boxes.

This was in addition to: “Notwithstanding the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) (or any order revoking, re-enacting or modifying that Order), no development within Classes A, AA, B, C, D and E of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the said Order shall be carried out without an express grant of planning permission.

“Namely: The enlargement, improvement or other alteration of the dwellinghouse; The enlargement of the dwellinghouse consisting of an addition or alteration to its roof; Any other alterations to the roof of the dwellinghouse; The erection of construction of a porch outside any external door of the dwelling; The provision within the curtilage of the dwellinghouse of any building or enclosure, swimming or other pool required for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such, or the maintenance, improvement or other alteration of such a building or enclosure.”

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