The image shows where the property is planned to be built in relation to the edge of the cliff (Image: Place Architects)
A plan to build a three-storey house in one of Cornwall’s most popular seaside villages has sparked fears that it could lead to the collapse of a cliff.
“Are we going to allow the coast path to crumble away just so that two second home owners can build a larger holiday home?” was the question posed by an opponent of the project, CornwallLive reports.
The proposal, discussed by Cornwall Council’s central sub-area planning committee, involves demolishing an existing two-storey house and replacing it with a larger, eco-friendly home in Mevagissey. Despite some support for the plan, there are concerns about its potential impact on the local landscape.
The Cornish National Landscape, previously known as Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), has objected to the proposal because the “enlarged and conspicuous” home doesn’t fit the beautiful area.
The South West Coast Path Association also had worries but thought the impact on the coastal path would be small.
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The ‘glass box’ proposal shows a modern house in a clifftop location (Image: Place Architects)
Dr Barbara Dunn, who’s lived next door for 25 years, told planners: “This development is a very large holiday home for two people who do not live in Mevagissey. It provides nothing of benefit to Mevagissey and there are multiple issues and problems in this application.
“The case officer himself raises 11 material planning considerations which oppose the development, but hasn’t provided clear evidence as to why he’s disregarded them. The integrity of this application is deeply concerning. The facts weren’t thoroughly checked.”
She also said the land size in the plans was wrong because it included land not owned by the people who want to build. “This development will be the largest private dwelling in the neighbourhood sitting on the smallest plot, crammed into its boundaries within touching distance of its neighbour,” she said.
“The addition of an intrusive third storey is out of keeping with dwellings in the neighbourhood, all of which are two-storey and have been renovated sympathetically.”
A birdseye view of where the property will sit, if approved (Image: Google Earth/Cornwall Council )
She added that second home owners “want locals to think the build of an eco-house on a large stable plot”, but that the reality is different. “They’re cramming an enormous three-storey glass box into a tiny unstable plot sitting on a crumbling coast path,” she added.
“The land stability and coastal erosion on or around the site has been highlighted by a geo-technical report and this has been red-flagged by the Coast Protection Authority because the report could not guarantee that Ancarva wouldn’t fall into the sea during the next 100 years.”
She explained: “On two recent occasions in Mevagissey, Cornwall Council has allowed risky cliff-top development after which the cliff face collapsed, but Ancarva is more dangerous because it includes demolition, so when the inevitable collapse takes place it won’t just be Ancarva’s land falling into the sea, it will be Mevagissey’s coastal path used by Mevagissey people.
“So are members going to allow Cornwall Council to make a third mistake. Are we going to allow the coast path to crumble away just so that two second home owners can build a larger holiday home?”
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‘New development is significant in size’
Cllr Gareth Williams raised objections to the application, representing Mevagissey Parish Council, who believe the construction to be “significantly detrimental”. He pointed out that it didn’t align with the neighbourhood’s own development plans and argued that its size would overshadow the harbour area.
Williams, a trained architect himself, critiqued the new development for its considerable scale, saying: “I’m a trained and qualified architect, but I don’t need that background to see that the proposed new development is significant in its massing and size.”
The applicant’s agent maintained that all criticisms from the parish council had been addressed, adding: “We wrote setting out how we’d met all of the policy’s four critical requirements”. In addition to this, they pointed out that the property would have zero carbon emissions annually due to thermal efficiencies, and an engineering review found no potential risk to coastal stability from the build.
Amid concerns regarding the inclusion of an area not owned by the applicants within the plans, the agent confirmed the measurements were taken keeping in line with the planning requirement of connection to a public road from the site.
In closing, the agent shared that a family of four would be residing in the property, adding, “and my understanding is they’re moving there”.
Local councillor Cllr James Mustoe raised questions about whether Cornwall Council should have done more to continue preserving the existing house instead of allowing “wholesale demolition”.
The site is not only in the AONB but also in an area given extra protection due to its “special character”, according to a local. He added that the objection from the AONB partnership should be taken seriously as the new building would be more noticeable than the one it’s replacing.
During the discussion, Cllr Michael Bunney expressed his concern: “The level of concern here is that it is such a prominent site. You’ve got Mevagissey bay, the harbour just around the corner, the headlands either side and Polstreath below is Mevagissey’s only beach, so it all makes the area so sensitive. I think this application is not sensitive enough for such a sensitive site.
Cllr Peter Perry added: “I find it a little ironic that with all the conversations about second homes in Cornwall we’re being asked to approve a quite significant change to this landscape purely for a second home.
“We’ve been told that the owners may move into it – I underline the word ‘may’. But currently it is an empty second home and we’re looking at a change to that quite protected landscape. I do have a problem with that.”
However, Chairman Cllr Alan Jewell reminded him that the possibility of it being a second home had no bearing on the planning decision.
Cllr Bunney suggested that the proposal should be rejected due to its large size, height and glazing, as well as the poor spacing between houses. He believed it would lead to a development that was too prominent, cramped and out of place in the Cornish National Landscape. The councillors agreed with him and all voted against the plan.
