A WAR of words has erupted between residents of one of Cornwall's most expensive coastal stretches and a Truro estate agent over his plans to build a luxury home in his garden.

Ian Lillicrap, of Lillicrap Chilcott, wants to plant a 10,000sq ft, three-storey, five-bedroom house with a spa, cinema, library and orangery on Restronguet Point, overlooking the Carrick Roads shoreline.

Residents and the Friends of Restronguet Point wrote to the West Briton expressing outrage at the proposal and rejecting Mr Lillicrap's claim only a "small handful" of people had objected. The Friends said the site lay outside the settlement boundary, would set a precedent and ruin an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

After the wrong image appeared in the West Briton last week, the estate agent refused to allow publication of images of his proposal, which can be seen by using reference PA11/02029 on Cornwall Council's planning register at http://planning.cornwall.gov.uk/online-applications/

Impact

Secretary of the Friends Tom Rouncefield said: "He wants to suppress its publication because he knows the impact it would have.

"Mr Lillicrap has a sizeable house there already which he wants to use for his parents and build a new house down to the waterfront."

Most of the houses, he said, had been developed since the war, adding: "Gradually people made improvements but all kept to one house, one plot, away from the water's edge."

Resident John Dobson called the River Fal a "scenic treasure" and said Cornwall Council had put a tree preservation order on the whole Point.

Responding, Mr Lillicrap said the planning committee would decide the outcome of his development, and not some "vocal yokels".

"It's a democracy, not a totalitarian state based on mob rule," he said.

"It's not the decision of a small handful of people who have done considerable improvements to their own homes."

The Friends' chairman Derek Reed said its position was "objective" and not "personal" nor "nimby".

"I've never known so many members aroused to approach me with such strong and realistic objections to a proposed development," he said.

"It has indeed been a storm of protest and I am unable to understand Mr Lillicrap stating that the complaints came from a 'small handful' of people.

"The primary reason for forming our residents' association, eight years ago, was in an endeavour to protect the natural beauty of the environment and I fully agree with June Cottins, representing the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, when she stated the precedent is huge.

"We will have applications on all the other Carrick Roads sites if this goes ahead."