From one decent and rational councillor: Dear All, Read Item 9 - there may be other items but I believe questions have to be in by noon today. LOCAL GOVERNMENT WAS DESIGNED TO DELIVER SERVICES TO THE AREA IT SERVED - IT IS NOW CHANGING DIRECTION TO ‘SPECULATIVE DEVELOPMENT’ USING PUBLIC MONEY FOR HOUSES WE NEITHER WANT NOR NEED. (5663 houses for sale on the open market in Cornwall 3 weeks ago and homes being built in Launceston being advertised in London as SECOND HOMES) It also appears that Cornwall Council (with our money) are going to provide the necessary infrastructure to enable the developers to build more houses. ALL WE NEED IN CORNWALL ARE HOMES FOR LOCAL NEEDS ((or Local needs housing) to good old Parker Morris standards.i.e. council houses. Please read agenda Item 9 - Google - Cornwall Council - councillors and democracy Up will come 3 headings - press “MEETINGS Then go to Cabinet meeting of the 20th June 2018 - scroll down to Item 9 (about page 120) you will see that there is a Part 1 and a Part 2 - so we shall never know how much of our money is going to be spent. SO FAR I CAN SEE NO MENTION OF FOUL SEWAGE - I recall it was to cost some £10 MILLION to connect but Mr. John Gregson (Consultant from London in charge of the department and the project) has been assured that SWW has sufficient capacity for either 10,000 houses or people ….. SO NO WORRY THERE …. Except that the Truro Newham Treatment works were officially declared OVER CAPACITY IN JUNE 2017. Best wishes One expert in the Cornish business community comments: You could add that our fragile economy in Cornwall relies upon 71,500 self employed (almost 1 in 3 of our economically active population), many of whom have followed this career path not through choice, but through necessity. Although our unemployment figures look good, there is mass underemployment in the Duchy. So it would be interesting to find out where the jobs are going to come from to make living in the thousands of new homes sustainable. Another campaigner and former Cornwall civil servant adds: In the end, officers are employed on our behalf by the councillors, not vice versa, and it's high time they learned their place.  If they don't like that, they know where the Tamar Bridge is and how to cross over it. As for Phil Mason’s strategy for Falmouth, the plan is to merge the town with Penryn and Budock: Alleged breach of condition 16 (access prior to commencement) of planning approval PA12/10394 - works have started on development without constructing agreed roundabout Land Off Bickland Hill Falmouth Cornwall The matter has been formally registered and allocated to a Development Officer for investigation. If the matter is a breach of planning control, further work will be required to progress the case to a resolution. The lack of a roundabout, Condition 16 which Persimmon's needs to build their development, without the development we wouldn't need it, which is causing traffic chaos has not been built and they are clearing land 500m from the road and other works for houses but no roundabout has even been started. On top of this an Economic Viability assessment was done to reduce the number of affordable homes from 40% to 35% because of the cost of the roundabout Persimmons had to build anyway and because they were granted permission to build in 2012 and the ruling of 40% came in 2013 but they didn't start construction until 2018!?!?! "The provision of 35% affordable housing is considered to be acceptable in this instance and in accordance with national planning policy and emerging local policy, when taking into account economic viability. At the time this application was submitted and affordable housing advice was provided (November 2012) the draft Local Plan had a requirement for 35% affordable housing provision on such emerging town framework sites. The application has been progressed since then on the Council’s advice provided at this time – that 35% would be sought. Following a Committee resolution in February 2013 the draft Local Plan target for Falmouth was increased to 40%. The Council has adopted a procedure whereby it is considered reasonable and fair that applications registered prior to the February 2013 resolution can proceed on the basis of the advice given and policy requirements at the point in time at which they were registered, i.e. a 35% requirement should apply in this instance. Only to proposals made subsequent to February 2013 will the provisions of the current draft Local Plan apply. Former district policy in this instance provides no further conclusive direction. While some of the site falls within the former Carrick district where the 2008 Balancing Housing Markets DPD seeks a target of 40%; the majority of the site lies within the former Kerrier district area where the old Local Plan is un-adopted, out of date and hence carries limited weight. Notwithstanding the local policy position being in flux, Officers have tested the possibility of requiring 40% provision on the site and requested the applicants to submit a full economic viability assessment to determine whether 40% could be delivered viably. The outcome of this assessment is discussed in detail below. ECONOMIC VIABILITY ASSESSMENT Officers have tested the possibility of requiring a 40% affordable housing provision on the site. The applicants were challenged to demonstrate the economic viability of both 35% and 40% provision. An important consideration in considering the viability of the development is the level of obligations required for significant highways improvements. The applicants have committed to provide over a million pounds to a highways improvement scheme at Bickland Hill / Union Corner, as set out in the Council’s Falmouth Town Framework: Transport Strategy 2030, which will produce wider benefits for the accessibility of the area. The submitted viability assessment adequately demonstrates that both this level of highways contribution and 40% affordable housing provision is unviable. But that 35% provision can be made in combination with the contribution to highways improvements. The Affordable Housing Team is therefore satisfied that a contribution of 35% is an acceptable and pragmatic approach in this case, given the shifting policy position outlined above; the advice that was previously provided; the requirements of the NPPF; and given the significant level of highway contributions which can be secured. It gets better when you find out that Barratt, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey, the 3 horsemen of the apocalypse, have built or are building 687 houses in the Parish of Budock, current housing stock 750, with a further 310 houses being applied for but none of these according to Cornwall Council count toward Budock Parishes housing target of 11 as they are considering to change the boundaries in Sept 2018 to include us in Falmouth Town as a suburb which is nearly bigger in area than Falmouth! A land grab, make no mistake! www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097099/More-half-British-countryside-risk-urban-sprawl-planning-laws-relaxed-campaigners-warn.html