During the past few days we have reached some key milestones in delivering our plans to create a new integrated, co-ordinated and sustainable community at Langarth.
One of these milestones has been Cornwall Council’s Cabinet endorsing the key principles and proposals set out in our final masterplan.
The Cabinet has also approved £11.9m of funding for the construction of the first Langarth Garden Village primary school and £6.93m for the new renewable energy centre.
Setting a “gold standard” for future development
The Council is committed to ensuring that all new development in Cornwall is the best quality it can be. We share that commitment.
At Langarth the planning permissions for 2,700 homes previously granted to a number of private developers meant that some development would inevitably take place on the site.
We have worked with the local community to develop a masterplan which not only sets a “gold standard” for future development in Cornwall but also meets the needs of the times and responds to the climate emergency.
We are delighted that Cornwall Council has endorsed the key principles and proposals set out in our masterplan.
These include robust measures to provide high quality, low carbon housing which meets the needs and budgets of all sectors, including 35% affordable homes, extra care housing and accommodation for key workers, including student nurses.
Around 48% of the existing green infrastructure will be retained within the site, representing a significant improvement to the existing consents, with new Cornish hedges, swales and wetland areas, a community farm, allotments and community orchards and parks and play areas, helping to increase biodiversity by up to 20%.
Five hectares (12 acres) of new woodland will be planted as part of the Forest for Cornwall, with the provision of two new primary schools and new health facilities helping to ensure that key services are shaped around future resident numbers from the start.
The boulevard style Northern Access Road through the development will link with walkable green corridors, nature trails, river and woodland walks and new cycle routes into and around the city, and e-bike and e-car sharing clubs.
Improvements to public transport will provide increased bus services, with bus stops at least every 400 metres along the length of the NAR, together with improvements to the existing A390 and an extra 600 spaces at the park and ride.
You can read a summary of the masterplan here …
Providing our first new school
Our plans for Langarth Garden Village include providing two new primary schools, one at the start of the project.
Creating our new energy centre
We also want to ensure that Langarth is a sustainable new community which is adaptable, resilient and fit for future living. Our new renewable energy centre will play a key role in delivering Cornwall Council’s ambitious climate change strategy at the same time as providing low cost green power for residents.
With around 17,500 megawatts of green energy generated from the site, the scheme will help to deliver low carbon homes with low running costs for residents as well generating an income from the sale of surplus power back to the grid.
If planning permission is granted for the energy centre, this will be an exciting first for the UK and we welcome the Cabinet decision to provide funding to develop this pioneering project.
You can find out more about our plans for the energy centre here
Next steps
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, was formally submitted to Cornwall Council earlier this week. .
Once the application has been verified by planning officers it will be published on the Council’s online planning register at https://https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/planning/online-planning-register/ . This process usually takes up to 10 days to complete.
The application will then be considered in detail by members of the Strategic Planning Committee. As this is such a significant scheme this first stage of the planning process to give outline planning permission is not expected to be determined until Summer 2021.
