Developer fails to prove its Newquay clifftop housing development is safe to build

A 'luxury' developer has failed to prove its controversial clifftop luxury housing development is actually safe to build. The site of planned high-end coastal housing above Whipsiderry beach in Newquay has been subject to a huge amount of upset in the past 12 months.

First granted permission to build seven houses over 15 years ago, work finally started on the former Paradise Cove Hotel site last year when cranes brought diggers in to pull rocks from the beach to backfill the cliff caves and drill concrete holes into the cliff face. There were huge protests against the work and the Duchy even suspended a licence allowing access to part of the beach it owns.

Cornwall Council has now refused developer Living Quarter Properties (Porth) Limited’s application to discharge 'condition two' of its plans to build the homes on the site. The developer previously claimed work to the cliff would provide sufficient stabilisation to reduce erosion and protect the development for at least 125 years. It also said the cliff was "far more stable" than previously thought.

READ MORE: Cornwall toddler born with 'nubby' for an arm is thriving as mum says he can do anything

READ MORE: Business owner gutted as landlord 'takes' her idea to 'do it for themselves'

Earlier this month, CornwallLive reported the developer had submitted an application to Cornwall Council to add rock bolts and meshing to the cliffs to help stabilise them. A report submitted to planners stated that imagery from a drone survey showed the cliff face is currently unstable and that there is potential for further landslip if left in its current state.

It commissioned AGS Ground Solutions to undertake a ground stability appraisal as part of an application made to Cornwall Council which concluded landslips have “provided benefits to the cliff’s stability”. The latest landslip was less than two weeks ago and the public footpath down to the beach has been closed off since a large rockfall at the end of November due to concerns for people's safety.

Join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and be first to hear what's happening near you

Locals said they hoped the latest and third rockfall incident would be the "final nail in the coffin" for the development. Each previous rockfall has been referred to as a "wake-up call" with campaigners saying it can't possibly be safe to build homes atop the crumbling cliffs.

Now Cornwall Council has ruled it disagreed with the findings from the developers that suggested the homes would be protected from cliff erosion and refused to discharge the planning condition. Cornwall councillor John Fitter said he welcomes the news of the refusal, saying "at long last Cornwall Council is listening to the concerns" of local people.

The independent councillor, who represents St Mawgan and Colan, said the community had become increasingly concerned at what he called a "lack of active intervention" by the council in the past year. He said the original application was approved back in 2007 and that with a "sizeable portion of the original site" now having fallen into the sea, he believes Cornwall Council should reconsider the application altogether.

“At some time hopefully in the near future our council must start to talk with the community, developer and myself on how they now view this site in light of the cliff falls and the decrease in the red line site area, and of course if required, any new application would be subjected to the constraints placed on development at this location by the Newquay Neighbourhood plan and the Cornwall Local Plan which would make any new application difficult for the planning service to approve.”