The applicant behind a plan to build homes in the street where Cornwall Council’s leader Linda Taylor lives – which she originally opposed – says he is willing to gift affordable homes to “repay” residents of the village where he has lived all of his life.

Mr G Davies has requested outline planning permission for an affordable-led housing development, which would also include properties sold on the open market, on land off Carsize Lane at Leedstown, near Hayle. It follows the delegated refusal of a similar application for up to three dwellings on the land, which was opposed by Cllr Taylor.

He says if planning permission is granted by a Cornwall Council committee next Monday (February 5), he will hand over the affordable properties with no costs to a housing provider as he feels “everybody needs a little help in achieving what they would like”.

The application – which would include a final decision concerning the number of houses, appearance, landscape and layout made at the reserved matters stage – has been brought to committee by the area’s councillor Loveday Jenkin “due to impact on countryside and lane, outside the village envelope and not a local exception site with 100 per cent genuinely affordable plus all the reasons cited by the parish council”.

Crowan Parish Council objected to the original application saying it would result in “urbanisation of the countryside”. It said the affordable housing would not meet local need and it should only be considered as a rural exception site if all the homes were affordable.

The parish council noted changes to the plans in January 2023 and still opposed, as it did again in March and December of last year. There is no objection from other public bodies.

Mr Davies wrote to the parish council at the end of last year, stating: “I am the applicant for the site off Carsize Lane. I have lived in Leedstown all my life and the reason for looking at developing the field is to repay the people of Leedstown.

“The development at present is for outline approval of a mixture of open and affordable housing with access along Carsize Lane. The site is perfectly located for walking to school, the playing field and bus routes to and from neighbouring towns.”

He added: “I’ve known people in the village who have made do with living with their parents and are in no way able to afford the open market prices for housing in the locality of Leedstown where they wish to stay, so I’ve promised that should planning be granted that these be handed over to a housing provider for no costs as I feel everybody needs a little help in achieving what they would like.

“Whilst the application has had its challenges since it’s been submitted with objections mainly to do with the access, one of which lives more than a quarter mile away, these have been discussed with the planning, highways and tree officer and subsequently agreed.”

The proposal seeks to provide upgrade works to the section of Carsize Lane between the application site and junction with Woodridge Close, which would include new surfacing, footways and passing bays.

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A planning report notes: “Local concern primarily relates to the safety of the intensification of the lane, which is a popular route for non‐vehicular users, and the impact of the upgrade works proposed. The Highways Officer is satisfied with the works to improve the access lane, which is already in use by vehicles, pedestrians and other non‐vehicular users.”

Cornwall Council leader Cllr Linda Taylor, whose home address is listed as Carsize Lane, objected to a previous application in 2022 on the grounds that the lane was unsuitable for further development.

She said at the time: “I have travelled up and down the lane daily for over 20 years and the traffic has increased considerably over the last ten years with the building of 20-plus houses at Walters Close, the renting of fields to crop producers, the opening of stables and renovation of derelict barns.

“The negative impact brought by the increased traffic to existing users of the lane drivers pedestrian and residents whose drives are used to turn around in, plus the destruction of hedgerows, trees and fauna, the displacement of wild animals by the associated works would far out way the benefits of two affordable houses on a green field site.”

If the new outline scheme is approved next week, the number of affordable homes will be determined by a viability report which will be submitted with a reserve matters application.