Land in Helston that could be developed in the future

Helston Town Council's planning committee has been asked to consider which areas of the town could be developed for a range of uses, including housing and/or gypsy and traveller pitches.

Other sites could be set aside for employment and commercial use, including offices, retail and leisure as well as generating energy.

Sites will be passed on to Cornwall Council, to be considered for inclusion in a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment.

This document will inform the next Local Plan and replace the former Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).

According to Cornwall Council, the SHLAA is a study to identify all available sites within Cornwall which have the potential for future housing development. However, the SHLAA is a technical study and not a policy document.

There have been two previous SHLAA documents produced to date, which identified land where housing could potentially be built, between 2011 and 2015, with a revised list in 2016 that looked at development over three phases: 2020/21 to 2024/25, 2025/26 to 2029/30, and then 2030/31 onwards.

This image from Cornwall Council shows areas of land which were identified in 2011 as having potential for development developed in the future - Green and grey = 2011, Red and green = 2012 - 2015. Image: Cornwall Council

The 2016 document previously identified several sites that would have the potential for 2,272 units to be built if all sites were developed – although it is important to note that not all areas identified with potential will be developed, in the coming years or ever.

Additionally, planning permission would still have to be granted for any development, even if the site is listed on the availability assessment.

Thursday's meeting of Helston Town Council planning committee will see members considering the previous sites included, to determine if they should be carried forward to the new document, or instead recommend certain sites to be removed from consideration.

Councillors will also be able to suggest new sites to be considered for development.

Previous land in Helston identified in 2016 included:

Adjacent to Penhellis Barn (31 units)

Furry Way public open space and woodland (58 units)

Land adjacent to Castle Wary Close (20 units)

Land adjacent to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Clodgey Lane (13 units)

Land adjacent to a house in Lowertown (31 units)

Land in Nancegollan (21 units)

Land adjacent to Trenethick Industrial Estate (22 units)

Land at Manaccan (30 units)

Land at Porthleven Road (20 unit)

Land off B3297 (251 units)

Land to the south west of Bulwark Road (969 units)

Land west of Gweal Wartha (106 units)

The rear of Marconi Close (42 units)

Tresprison Farm (637 units)

Tyacke Road Car Park (21 units)

Very little of this land has actually been developed in this time. Developments since the production of that document include 75 affordable homes behind Bulwark (Roundhouse Way) and Park An Daras next to Rowe's Lane, although this is technically in the Wendron parish.

The previous list can be viewed at www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/adopted-plans/strategic-housing-land-availability-assessment/

To submit a new site, or to update a site included in the SHLAA, visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/callforsites which also sets out the submission criteria.

You do not need to own a site to make a nomination, but Cornwall Council does ask that the landowner is made aware before a site nomination is submitted.

For inclusion in the first reporting stage in July 2024 site details must be provided by April 22, 2024. The council will then be in touch before the report is published with feedback.

Sites/updates submitted from April 23 onwards will be considered for a later reporting stage, which will take place in the run up to the next Local Plan - work on which is likely to formally begin in 2025.