A controversial housing development WILL be built in Porthleven after the scheme was passed by a casting vote yesterday, Tuesday.

With Cornwall Council planning committee members tied six in favour and six against, chairman Roger Harding was given the casting vote – and he gave the project his backing.

It means the Rowe family that owns the five-acre site off Shrubberies Hill can begin work on building the 60 homes, 24 of which will be sold on the open market and 36 classed as affordable.

The decision by Mr Harding, who represents Newlyn and Mousehole, will come as a bitter blow to the Friends of Porthleven group that formed in protest against the plans.

One of its members Ted Gundry, who spoke against the development at yesterday’s meeting in Penzance, told the Packet afterwards: “Everybody is disappointed. Cornwall Council has more or less opened the doors for everybody that wants to build on an area of outstanding natural beauty.”

He believed that because the application was so controversial Mr Harding should have refused it and the matter be discussed further.

Mr Gundry, together with Megan Woodhams, represented the Friends of Porthleven at the meeting, repeating their arguments of the past and reiterating that the group was not against affordable homes being built in the port – but not on this site.

Of the homes that will now be built, 24 will be sold on the open market and 36 classed as affordable homes: 18 to be “affordable rent”, nine sold through shared ownership and nine as a “discounted sale”.

These will be set at 50 per cent of the market value, which currently would make a two-bedroom house £81,500, a three-bedroom house £97,500 and a four-bedroom house £146,500.

Each home, apart from the flats in one apartment block, are planned to have two parking spaces.

At a public meeting in Porthleven earlier this month roughly two thirds of people who spoke objected to the scheme, while the remaining third were in support.

The Packet was unable to contact the Rowe family before the paper went to press.