High Court bid to stop affordable homes in Lanner fails (From Falmouth Packet)

High Court bid to stop affordable homes in Lanner fails

7:00am Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in News

Lanner parish council has failed in its High Court bid to stop 25 affordable homes being built in the village.

The judicial review of the council’s decision to grant permission to Coastline Housing Limited permission was rejected by Judge Anthony Thornton QC.

In their submission Lanner council said a housing needs survey carried out by Coastline was "without value", with flawed methodology

It said that, "without an accurate survey it is feared that many of the proposed units may go to people currently not resident in the parish, and that based on feedback from parishioners, the parish council believed the actual need for local needs housing was less than stated.

It added: "Any local needs housing should reflect the particular needs of those requiring it. The mix of units proposed in this application would provide too few one bedroom units which would, in the opinion of the Parish Council, discriminate against single person/elderly units which are most likely area of need in the parish. 

"There is no evidence that this application has the support of the local community."

The judge's decision stated that the only way Lanner parish council would be entitled to have the committee’s decision set aside would be if it could show that that decision was "perverse", but, "no glaring imperfection was shown to have existed" and the decision was "incapable of being characterised as being perverse".

A Cornwall Council spokesman said they were, "delighted with the decision".

The decision means that the development can now proceed.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing and planning and resident of Lanner Mark Kaczmarek says: “I am delighted that this local needs housing can finally go ahead. The judge’s decision has given Cornwall Council the support needed to deliver affordable housing, not just in Lanner but in the rest of Cornwall which can only be good news for the thousands of those in housing need."