Wadebridge Town Council
Exploring Opportunities for Wadebridge
Wadebridge Town Council is exploring opportunities in a PPA, in partnership with Progress Land, for development of the site known as Church Park.
What is a PPA?
A ‘Planning Performance Agreement’ (PPA) is a planning exercise where Cornwall Council, as the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and a planning applicant, in this case Progress Land, can work positively together to prepare a planning application. The benefits of doing so include:
- Identifying key issues and consultees at an early stage.
- Working together to problem solve and find agreed solutions.
- Ensuring greater accountability, transparency, and
- Improving partnership working.
- Gaining bespoke advice from key consultees (e.g. environment, highways etc.).
This type of collaborative working is encouraged as good practice by national planning policy as well as the local authority. Landowners, developers, and the local authority are encouraged to work together to prepare better planning applications.
The Church Park proposals include land owned by Wadebridge Town Council, which sees the PPA as an opportunity to engage with the other landowners, promoters, and the local authority, to explore the benefits it will bring for our town.
What is the proposed development at Church Park?
The proposed development is for around 250 homes. The development could bring the following to Wadebridge:
- Land for some of the affordable homes to be developed and managed by the Town Council to rent to local people.
- Additional and improved cycleways and footways including a new link from the Camel Trail to the A389 at Trelawney Garden Centre. This would involve the donation of land from South West Water.
- Land to build a community building with space to deliver doctor and dentist facilities.
- Improvements to the pedestrian and cycle network along Egloshayle Road.
- Employment land to provide more jobs for the area.
- Land for a new primary school.
- Recreational and public open space provision adjacent to the rugby club. The Town Council wishes to see the creation of an all-weather pitch at this location for local groups to use throughout the year.
Why is Wadebridge Town Council involved?
The Town Council has taken the decision to be involved in this scheme to ensure that the development delivers benefits for Wadebridge.
Where is the development?
The development is located within both Egloshayle Parish and Wadebridge Town Council’s parish boundaries.
Who will build the Council houses?
Part of the development’s affordable housing provision will be created by Progress Land, with the remainder provided by Wadebridge Town Council. Town Council provision will become rental properties for local people managed by the Town Council.
Who will build the all weather pitch?
The Town Council will lead on securing the funding and engaging a suitable contractor for the all weather pitch, following approved procurement guidelines. This will then be a Town Council owned facility able to be hired to groups and individuals for use all year round.
Who will build the community building?
The Town Council will lead on securing the funding and engaging a suitable contractor for the community facility, following approved procurement guidelines. This will then be a Town Council owned facility able to be hired to groups and individuals.
Who will build the primary school?
The provision of a new primary school will be decided as part of the planning process and agreed with Cornwall Council. At this time Progress Land is proposing to provide the land for the school at nil cost to the council and will make a financial contribution on top.
Who decides what number of houses are needed in Wadebridge?
Cornwall Council decides what number of houses are allocated and where. The council looks at several factors, including the number of people on the Cornwall Homechoice register, when making this decision. The Cornwall Local Plan includes a housing requirement of 52,500 new dwellings for the plan during period 2010 to 2030. Of these 52,500 dwellings Wadebridge has been allocated a minimum of 1,100 homes to be built by 2030 and the rest of the Community Network Area allocated at least 1,000.
Why do we need more houses in Wadebridge?
New houses are needed as families grow and when people's children grow up and need their own homes. People who have moved away for University or work come back to the area and need homes. People who move here from other parts of Cornwall, and the rest of the country, also need homes.
Why is the Town Council supporting development outside of the bypass boundary which was the agreed development boundary following the Regulation 14 consultation of the draft NHP?
The draft NHP and its agreed development boundaries have now been set aside by Egloshayle Parish Council who have recently supported Planning Application (PA20/09912). This planning application seeks to subsume the Wadebridge hamlet of Bodieve with development outside the agreed development boundary of the bypass. A decision to support this application was taken at the Egloshayle Full Council meeting on 15 December 2020. This support is in contradiction to what Egloshayle Parish Council agreed at their meeting of 24 November 2018 and is not in alignment with the agreed draft NHP, following the Regulation 14 consultation, and agreed by all 3 partner Councils. A development which is not supported by the community of Wadebridge and which brings no benefit to our town.
St Breock Parish Council want to wait until the end of the Community Governance Review before they will consider re-engaging with the NHP process. This is due to the view they have taken on parish boundaries which have no bearing on the NHP, but which is being given as their reason to put the NHP on hold. The Community Governance Review is not expected to be completed for 18 months.
Wadebridge Town Council still support the bypass boundary as the development boundary as shown in the draft NHP. However, in the absence of the NHP the Town Council seek to support those developments which bring real benefits to our town and its residents.
The Town Council see the Church Park development as one which provides the opportunity for local affordable housing, green space, and which provide Wadebridge with improvements to infrastructure and amenities. The benefits of this development for Wadebridge must be explored and explains why the Town Council are part of this proposal.