The development of Langarth does involve the loss of agricultural land and this is described and assessed as part of the Environmental Assessment. The Council’s Policy, set out in the Local Plan (Policy 21), includes a number of criteria to promote the best use of land. This approach includes using brownfield land where possible, increasing density of development to reduce likely land take and trying to reduce poorer quality land first where that is available.
The scale of development set out in the Local and Neighbourhood plan cannot be met solely on brownfield sites. Options for green field expansion are limited and all tend to include significant areas of the best and most versatile agricultural land. On that basis the sites have to a large degree have had or still have extant consents for development and are identified in the Neighbourhood Plan as how the housing need for Truro is going to be met. In taking forward the development of this site allows the Local Planning Authority to better defend the unnecessary loss of further greenfield sites around Truro and Kenwyn.
