Developers widely criticised for damaging a protected pine in Penryn have applied for planning permission for six new parking spaces - which would require the tree's removal.

WJ Ladd builders is currently in the process of building seven new homes at Vinery Meadow, on a site which includes a landmark Monterey pine.

During the course of the building work several applications have been made for permission to fill the tree, with the builders claiming it is dying and a hazard, while residents, town councillors and Cornwall Council continue to try and protect it.

Now the company has submitted an application for permission to create 14 parking spaces and four guests spaces at the site, up from the ten residential and two guest spaces permitted in the original application.

A design and access statement with the application states: "The general feeling with the local residents is that there is already a growing problem with vehicles parking on the road in Vinery Meadow. The fear is that the currently approved parking provision could add to this problem, making access for larger vehicles and emergency vehicles very difficult."

It continues: "The revised parking layout as described above is dependant on the removal of the Monterey pine tree that is present on the site," adding: "The tree in question has compromised the development from the beginning."

In February the company began work to remove several large limbs from the pine, which Cornwall Council later confirmed had been permitted through a 'five day notice,' a notice usually submitted by a landowner wishing to remove or work on a tree they consider to present a safety risk. Once such a notice is submitted the council has five days to raise any concerns or the work can begin.

However in April the Planning Inspectorate ruled against an appeal by the builders, finding that there was no reason for the whole tree to be felled at the current time.