Planning Cornwall: More than 30 homes to replace fire-damaged farmhouse called ‘highly damaging’ by Historic England

Plans to demolish a fire-ravaged farmhouse and replace it with 32 new homes will be discussed by a Cornwall Council planning committee next week. Historic England opposed the proposals, saying the development would be “highly damaging” to the character of a World Heritage mining site.

Kevin Penrose has applied to demolish Church View Farmhouse on Church View Road, Camborne, and replace it with the 32 houses, which would include seven “affordable” properties along with access, estate roads and net development gain/ biodiversity.

The matter has been called ahead of Cornwall Council’s west planning meeting next Monday (June 24) after objections were received from Historic England and Camborne Town Council. Local division member Cllr Peter Perry also declared a conflict of interest as he knows the applicant.

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A planning report to the committee notes that the application was amended to take account of comments made by officers and consultants, and the changes reduced the scale of the development and improved the design of the units.

The report states: “The proposed development will result in some damage to the heritage assets comprising the World Heritage conservation area and development, by providing the number of dwellings proposed on the site, leading to the loss of the existing dwelling located in However, this damage is considered to be less than substantial, given that the existing dwelling is fire damaged and unlisted and that the benefits of the scheme in terms of housing provision in the area, including affordable housing, outweigh this harm.”

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The HomeChoice housing register shows there are 1,261 households looking for affordable accommodation in Camborne parish.

“Taking these factors into account, the proposal is considered acceptable on the whole, subject to certain conditions. All other matters raised have been taken into account, including planning history and comments from the public and the local council, but none are of such significance as to outweigh the considerations leading to the conclusion. The application is therefore recommended for approval,” the planning report adds.

Planning Officer Martin Jose recommended referral to the Secretary of State for approval.

Historic England wrote to the council saying the application remains “highly damaging” to the character and appearance of the Tuckingmill and Roskear Conservation Area and the “outstanding universal value” of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage site. The organization recommends that substantial changes be made to the proposals to address its heritage concerns.

The site is currently accessed via the western boundary along Church View Road, which comprises an unclassified highway. It is proposed to close this access to vehicular traffic and maintain it as a pedestrian route and to build a new access to the south-east of the site, leading to Kerrier Way.

A decision will be made at County Hall / Lys Kernow in Truro on Monday.