Plans to build houses on an agricultural field used for parking during the Royal Cornwall Show have led to anger and concern from local residents and the parish council. Mine and Quarry Services Ltd has applied for planning permission to build 15 houses on land in the hamlet of Whitecross, near Wadebridge.

A meeting of Cornwall Council’s east sub-area planning committee heard today (Monday, September 30) that the field is used by around 200 cars on each day of the huge agricultural show as part of an agreement which dates back over 50 years. Cllr Robin Moorcroft (Independent, Wadebridge West & St Mabyn) said that although the Royal Cornwall Show association had not commented on the proposed loss of the field for its use, the financial loss to the charity would be “substantial”.

The meeting heard that the development site – which would provide eight affordable and seven open market properties – is on the boundary of a National Landscape / Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and would require the loss of 24 metres of Cornish hedgerow, although that would be replanted with additional “biodiversity gains”.

Planning officer Samantha Hewitt said there is a demand for affordable housing in St Breock parish, which is balanced against the loss of countryside. She recommended delegated approval subject to Section 106 planning conditions.

Local resident John Weller was the first speaker to address the planning committee. He argued that taking 80 ft of a 200-year-old Cornish hedge was not a biodiversity gain. “It’s also replacing several acres of farmland with concrete for the bases of the houses. How can that be biodiversity gain?

“It’s a special field, it’s part of our Cornish heritage – it joins with the Royal Cornwall Showground, it’s used for car parking for those seven days, but it’s also the access point for the area of outstanding natural beauty, which it adjoins. Hundreds and hundreds of people walk across there to get into the Royal Cornwall Show.”

Cllr Ian Morris said he represented St Breock Parish Council and residents in the Whitecross area who “generally or all” are objecting to the application. He said the development would be on “in-use Grade 3 agricultural land that borders a designated landscape and abuts part of Whitecross”. He said the house designs weren’t in keeping with other properties and “would not do anything” to enhance the hamlet’s appearance.

Cllr Morris said the development if approved would potentially set a precedent as, he argued, it went against a number of national and local planning policies. “We currently have new, unsold houses standing empty in the parish – the demand is for rental social housing with associated infrastructure.”

He added that the only option for most people in St Breock parish, who are in low paid, minimum wage jobs, would be affordable rented accommodation. “The chances of them getting on the ladder for shared ownership, etc, is a non-starter to be completely frank.”

Angela Warwick spoke in support of the proposal as the applicant’s agent. She told the committee that five of the eight affordable homes would be for rent, with the remaining three sold as shared ownership to be delivered by Coastline housing association.

She said a public consultation meeting had resulted in a lot of constructive comments, particularly around drainage (which has resulted in drainage being moved to a different position) and support for affordable homes.

Ms Warwick said that after the planning application was submitted, negative canvassing took place “which ended up in a completely different public reaction compared to the public consultation”. She added: “At the parish meeting we were quite surprised when a vocal few made their negative comments known. This is very unfortunate in terms of the process as these comments would have been useful at the public consultation or at the pre-app stage.

“Cornwall is still in a housing crisis and this proposal offers a further eight dwellings in a sustainable location to meet the needs of the parish. Of 55 houses [in Whitecross], we propose an increase of 15. No affordable housing has been delivered in the parish for ten years and we believe we are responding to that need.”

Cllr Moorcroft brought the matter before the planning committee, who visited the site last week, following St Breock Parish Council’s unanimous decision to oppose the application alongside an “overwhelming” number of public objections from the local community – there are over 40 comments on the council’s planning portal.

He said the field was classed by Cornwall Council as “medieval farmland” and further defined as “agricultural heartland”. He outlined a number of reasons why he felt the houses should not be built, including construction on that agricultural land.

The meeting heard that a pre-planning application by another applicant has been lodged for 325 new homes in the Wadebridge area, 98 of which sit in St Breock parish, including a number of affordables. Councillors were warned not to give weight to the pre-app when considering the Whitecross application.

Committee members discussed the application with concerns raised about the road next to the site being dangerous, loss of agricultural land, the closeness to the special character of the adjoining landscape, and the chance that “more suitable” affordable housing could become available in the area.

The committee voted to refuse on the grounds of introducing homes on an undeveloped field and removal of the boundary hedgerow harming the distinctive rural character of the area, which would also result in the loss of best and most versatile agricultural land which otherwise would be available for food production.