Temporary reprieve halts planning

PROTESTERS in Camelford have won a temporary reprieve over whether land at Camelford Primary School should be developed with houses.

Determined to make their views known campaigners attended Cornwall Council's east sub area planning committee in a bid to oppose an application by Cornwall Council to develop the school site in Highfield Road with 58 homes.

Objectors maintain the town does not need more housing but does need a new site to expand its medical centre and to resite the town's emergency services and Cornwall One Stop Shop. The outline application was deferred by the committee after it was told that its own council was involved in talks with the primary care trust (PCT) regarding the resiting of the medical centre.

Campaigners urged councillors to defer making a decision until discussions between Cornwall Council and the Primary Care Trust had been concluded so that consideration could be given to using the site as a base for the medical centre.

Cllr John Lugg said the development of the site with homes would also mean the loss of a playing field – a facility the town was short of.

Clare Ireland secretary of Camelford Association of Residents (CAR) said: "No more homes are wanted, our infrastructure is already at full stretch."

She said schools were full, the town already had traffic congestion problems, the medical centre was too small and NHS dental provision inadequate, there were too few jobs for the existing population and that if more homes were built Camelford would just become a dormitory town.

"The primary school site should be used for something that benefits the whole community," said Mrs Ireland.

Andy Shaw, speaking on behalf of Camelford Town Council, said his council could not support the application.

"It will not and does not give best value to the community. This site should be used as a medical centre which has been promised by the PCT for the past 10 years which until now has had no site available," said Mr Shaw.

Cllr Keith Goodenough called for the application to be deferred until Cornwall Council and the PCT had finished their deliberations.

The application had been recommended for approval by planning officers.