PLANNING approval has been granted for the construction of four dwellings in Pensilva.

The application was made by DV Developments Ltd, and concerned land to the south of Moy Treven, Shute Lane, Pensilva.

The applicant’s planning agent told Cornwall Council: “In terms of sustainability of location, as the site is within the village of Pensilva, as defined by Cornwall industrial settlement initiative study, it is considered well located for local services and facilities.

“The site for proposed development sits vacant following clearance in 2019 as part of the management plan for the removal of Japanese knotweed. The approximate area of the site is half an acre (0.1994 ha), bordered on the East side by a well-established Cornish hedge adjoining Shute Lane.

“The Southern boundary is a low-level earth bank with species-poor hedge with occasional trees. Bordered on the West by a brook with earth bank on the adjacent land. The staggered Northern boundary is formed by Respryn, Moy Treven and No.1 Snowdon Court.

“The proposed additional residential units will be within a sustainable village which presently offers a local shop, primary school, sports/ community centre (includes a community bar) and a health centre. All these facilities are within an easy 10-minute walk of the proposed development site.”

There would be no affordable housing element on the site, because while the combined development of the four dwellings with the adjacent five previously built means it becomes eligible for an affordable housing contribution, the developer was successfully able to prove that doing so would render the scheme unviable.

The council’s affordable housing team stated: “The affordable housing team raises no objection to the proposal on the grounds of viability or proportion of affordable housing. We have tested the economic viability of the scheme and can confirm that the provision of affordable housing would not be viable or deliverable in this instance.”

St Ive and Pensilva Parish Council said it did not oppose the application, stating: “The parish council do not oppose the development but will only support this application if provision is made to provide a safe access for pedestrians to the village. There is currently no footpath.”

However, Cornwall Council deemed this unnecessary, with the conclusion of the planning officers stating that in their view, it was not considered appropriate to request the construction of one given there was already infrastructure deemed of an acceptable nature.

Cornwall Council had stated this as the development was ‘small scale’ and the road it serves benefits from street lighting and was in a 30 miles per hour speed zone. The nearest pavement was 80 metres away.

The parish council requested that the application be ‘called in’ to be decided by a planning committee of councillors but the Cornwall Council member for the time, Cllr Seeva declined to do so, agreeing with the officers recommendations.

They had previously objected to the proposals on the basis of the lack of pedestrian footpaths and an overdevelopment of a rural area of the village.

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Cornwall Council granted conditional approval to the scheme.