Cornwall is to get a new primary school and renewable energy centre as part of a £24 million day of spending by the council.

Playing pitches and village improvements have also been funded as part of the £23,830,000 funding approved by Cornwall Council's Cabinet members today.

One of the biggest chunks of the total is the £11.9 million earmarked for the construction of the first Langarth Garden Village primary school.

This would help cater for the 3,500 homes that would be built as part of the garden village if planning permission is granted and is one of two primary schools planned.

Another £6.93 million has been set aside for a pioneering new renewable energy centre, which the council has said will play a key role in delivering its climate change strategy and provide low cost green power for residents.

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The Cabinet also agreed to invest £500,000 to support improvements to the Threemilestone Community Centre, for the benefit of residents living in Threemilestone and Highertown, as well as residents who will live at Langarth Garden Village in the future.

At the same time, members supported investment of up to £1.7 million on playing pitches and £2.8 million from section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy, if the Langarth Garden Village planning applications are approved, to help improve the village of Threemilestone.

Plans include removing the central roundabout, providing more parking spaces to improve access to local businesses and health services and a new pedestrian and cycleway link to connect Threemilestone village directly to the new Langarth Garden Village.

All of this will be complemented by new green spaces, landscaping and tree planting.

Andrew Mitchell, Cornwall Council cabinet member for homes, said: “We want all new development in Cornwall to be the best quality.

“At Langarth the planning permissions for 2,700 homes previously granted to a number of private developers meant that development would inevitably take place on the site.

“Rather than allow piecemeal development, in January 2019 we made the decision to take on a proactive role in delivering a new integrated community at Langarth Garden Village, allocating £159 million to support the development of the masterplan and key infrastructure.”

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Created in partnership with the local community, the masterplan sets out to provide "high quality, low carbon" housing including 35 per cent affordable homes, extra care and other forms of accommodation for older people and people with disabilities, as well as accommodation for student health workers and other key workers.

Around 48 per cent of the existing green areas will be retained within the site, with new Cornish hedges, swales and wetland areas, community farms, allotments and community orchards and parks and play areas, which the council said would help to increase biodiversity by up to 20 per cent across the whole site.

Five hectares (12 acres) of new woodland will be planted as part of the Forest for Cornwall, with two new primary schools and new health facilities planned to make sure key services are shaped around future residents from the start.

The Council had previously agreed to provide early investment for a number of other community projects. Work is already underway on building the new Community Hall at All Saints Church Highertown following a £612,000 investment from the council, with another £888,000 of funding provided earlier this year to support the development of the new hall hub at Threemilestone Primary School.

Following today’s Cabinet decision, if planning permission is approved for the scheme, the first of the two new primary schools would be due to open in Summer 2023 to coincide with the first residents moving into their new homes.

Work on constructing the Northern Access Road would begin in autumn 2021, with the scheme completed in spring 2024.

A hybrid planning application, which includes an application for full planning permission for the Northern Access Road and outline planning permission for the Langarth Garden Village development, has been formally submitted.

Once the application has been verified by planning officers it will be published on the council’s online planning register www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning

The application will then be considered by members of the Strategic Planning Committee. Due to the size of the scheme, this first stage to give outline planning permission is not expected to be determined until summer 2021.

Other plans include improvements to public transport with increased bus services, bus stops at least every 400 metres along the length of the Northern Acess Road, together with improvements to the existing A390 and an extra 600 spaces at the park and ride.