Someone needs to tear a few strips off local developers who seem intent on riding roughshod over planning constraints.

Twice in two weeks we have heard of builders in Penryn paying little heed to rules and regulations, first at Round Ring Gardens and now at Vinery Meadow.

Pearce Fine Homes appear to be running rings around the council, with so-called archaeological work now having transformed into concrete surfacing and site offices - hardly conducive to checking for hidden underground history.

Our article last week drew plenty of ire from incensed neighbours, but maddeningly it has taken Cornwall Council a week to respond to our requests for information. If they’re that slow with journalists, how will they ever keep up with dastardly developers?

Meanwhile, down the hill, perseverance in the face of outright refusal is reaching lofty new heights at Vinery Meadow, where Ladd’s continue to press for permission to destroy a protected tree.

In the name of four more parking spaces - and associated property values - the builder keeps claiming that branches ripped from a Monterey pine are signs that it is a victim of age or disease, rather than financial considerations.

Our planning officers need to not just wake up, but also catch up, or they will find that any enforcement measures are too late. Slaps on the wrist will mean little when the cash is already in builders’ hands.