Leading Cornish housebuilder plans 550 new homes for town

One of Cornwall’s leading developers has submitted its plans to deliver hundreds of much-needed homes for the county.

Persimmon Homes Cornwall & West Devon has sent its hybrid application – where outline permission is being sought for up to 400 homes and full approval for an additional 150 as the initial phase – to planners as it seeks to address housing need in Wadebridge.

If approved, the development would see land being gifted through a Section 106 agreement to the community for an on-site primary school, and a new medical centre with dental provision and a sports pitch, off-site and closer to the town centre. The scheme also incorporates public open space and fully equipped play areas.

All properties will be zero carbon-ready, equipped with sustainable features such as air source heat pumps, solar panels, and electric vehicle charging points.

Biodiversity net gain would be delivered on-site, with a proposed green wildlife corridor providing new ecological habitats, and a ‘Green Buffer’ between existing infrastructure and any future development, alongside secondary corridors dividing the development blocks and linking the green wildlife corridor to the rural edge.

The site, Church Park, is in the south-east of the Wadebridge, a town identified as a growth site in the Council’s Local Plan and will help address Cornwall’s housing land shortfall.

The scheme would also ringfence 30% of the properties for a housing association to ease pressure on the county’s housing waiting list, which currently has on it 25,000 households.

Primary and secondary road access will be provided from the A389 and Treworder Lane, whilst a new pedestrian and cycle access connecting to the wider town and green corridors are part of the proposed plans.

Commenting on the submission, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes Cornwall & West Devon, Andy Hill, said:

“I am really pleased that this application will deliver more than just the homes that Wadebridge needs but also some much-valued local infrastructure.

“Whether it be a medical centre and sports provision for the town or housing association properties and land for a school on-site, this application aims to bring a whole suite of benefits to the area, as well as ecological enhancements and utilise outdoor space.

“With a range of house types, sizes, and tenure, this integrated and sustainable residential community will have a responsive design and sympathetic relationship to the existing settlement, all to the benefits of current and new residents.

“We look forward to working with councillors, residents, and planners to bring to life the vision of Wadebridge’s role as a strategic growth town, as it has been designated in the Local Plan.”