Whipsiderry Cliffs, Newquay protest Duchy urged to help

The Save Whipsiderry Cliffs Public Group is today asking The Duchy Of Cornwall to stop "destructive" works at Whipsiderry Beach, Newquay, Cornwall.

"We are publicly asking The Duchy Of Cornwall to use their power & position of authority to stop the destruction at Whipsiderry Beach," say organisers.

"The project involves using Duchy Of Cornwall land to facilitate the destruction of habitat and reduction of biodiversity on these cliffs, by a developer and associated representatives, whose only motive is financial gain.

"The method used involves excavating sea caves, with heavy machinery, drilling into rock, inserting steel rods and filling the caves with concrete, including part of the cliff face above.

"This is to enable the developer to build seven holiday-homes, on top of the 200 foot cliff, in a town with an affordable housing crisis."

Work on the cliffs (Image: Supplied)

The protestors say the cliffs are home to rare birds and mammals, but despite this biodiversity and natural habitat, the Cornwall Council Planning Department & The Marine Management Organisation have granted permission for the work to take place.

"Whipsiderry is a well loved asset to the local community, demonstrated by the thousands of people engaging with the Save Whipsiderry Cliffs social media campaigns, and the hundreds that attended our recent protests," they said.

"The Duchy Of Cornwall have granted permission to the developer and their contractors, to use part of their estate, the foreshore, to facilitate this destruction."

Members of the local community have for the past two weeks maintained a presence on the beach and cliff top, with an aim to slow down or halt the works, which has been successful to date.

A young protestor (Image: Supplied)

Today they are launching a social media campaign, to ask supporters to contact the Duchy of Cornwall urging them to bring a stop to this abhorrent destruction.

"We are urging the estate managers & representatives of the Duchy Of Cornwall to listen to the overwhelming objections from the public and put an immediate halt to this work," they said.

In a statement the developers Living Quarter Properties said: "The most recent report on the condition of the cliff states that current hazards include sea cave advancement and the potential for large-scale rock mass failure through undercutting. These hazards threaten the overall stability of the cliff face and have the potential to result in the loss of land within the site boundaries."