Strategic Planning Committee - 18 December 2025

**Procedural matters** – The meeting began with the usual compliance checks. Councillor R Tarrant declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Application PA25/01930 (Land South of Whitestone Road, min) because he operates a care‑home facility in the town. The motion moved by Councillor Ball and seconded by Councillor Channon to record the minutes of the Strategic Planning Committee meeting held on 25 September 2025 was carried, and the Chairman signed the record.

**Application PA25/01930 – waste‑treatment facility** – The Principal Development Officer (EI‑W) presented the proposal, referencing the site’s compliance with Policy 20.2(a) of the Cornwall Local Plan, which requires waste facilities to be located near the majority of waste origins. The officer confirmed that the bio‑aerosol assessment had been examined and that the report was deemed sound. After a public‑consultation phase, 140 formal objections were received. Opponents, including Councillor Heslington, Mrs Olds, and representatives of the Gwinear‑Gwithian Parish Council, raised concerns about stress to residents, environmental impact, noise compliance, parking capacity, and the size of the development. Supporters, such as Ms Banks, Mr Richards, and several local residents, argued that the site met the required land‑classification (grade 3b/4), that mitigation measures were in place, and that the facility would address a regional need for waste treatment. The officer recommended approval subject to a suite of conditions, including the provision of electric‑vehicle charging points, a construction environmental‑management plan, and the removal of an ecology‑and‑biodiversity condition. The Committee was asked to delegate authority to the Chief Planning Officer to grant the application, pending any comments from Natural England.

**Other planning items (SP/21‑SP/23)** – The Committee also considered three further applications, each presented by a Principal Development Officer and followed by spoken evidence from stakeholders. Common themes across the items were land‑use change, impacts on traffic and parking, and the adequacy of mitigation measures. Members raised questions about landscape impact, vehicular movements, and the need for monitoring conditions. In each case the officers recommended approval with appropriate planning conditions, and the Committee was asked to consider delegated authority for the Chief Planning Officer to finalize the decisions.

**Outcomes** – The minutes of the meeting were approved and signed. For Application PA25/01930, the Committee accepted the officer’s recommendation and authorised the delegation of decision‑making to the Chief Planning Officer, subject to the stipulated conditions and any additional requirements from Natural England. Similar delegated‑authority recommendations were made for the other three applications. The meeting concluded with a review of recent planning appeal decisions, the number of appeals lodged, and upcoming public inquiry dates.