Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision Site visit made on 30 November 2021 by M Bale BA (Hons) MA MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 6 December 2021 Appeal Ref: APP/D0840/W/21/3274821 Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne TR12 6NT • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant outline planning permission. • The appeal is made by Mr Brian Bevan against the decision of Cornwall Council. • The application Ref PA20/09268, dated 23 October 2020, was refused by notice dated 23 December 2020. • The development proposed is construction of a 2-bedroomed bungalow, replacing remains of derelict farm building on land to the west side of Chywoon Farm’s garden and within the curtilage of the property. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Main Issues 2. The main issues are whether the site is in an appropriate location for the proposal with regard to accessibility, and the effect on the character and appearance of the area, including the scenic beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Reasons Accessibility 3. Chywoon is a small cluster of buildings, set apart from other nearby building groups.

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision While I understand that there are two existing units of holiday accommodation alongside the main farmhouse, it has the appearance of an individual small farmstead in a countryside location. 4. Policy 3 of the Cornwall Local Plan 2010-2030 (LP), which sets out a broad development strategy for the rural areas, allows some small-scale development at existing settlements. However, while an element of judgement may be required as to whether a particular location is a settlement or not, there is no particular evidence to demonstrate that I should find this farmstead arrangement to be one, within the meaning of that Policy, even if other adjoining farm buildings could be converted to dwellings. I, therefore, find that the site does not immediately adjoin a definable settlement and so there is no support from Policy 3, whether or not the site were considered to be previously developed land, or rounding off the existing built form. 5. The site is located a short distance from St. Keverne, which has a range of services and facilities. However, the road between the site and the settlement is enclosed by hedgerows and has an irregular alignment.

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision It appears to carry a fairly large amount of traffic from which there are limited opportunities for https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision It appears to carry a fairly large amount of traffic from which there are limited opportunities for https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/D0840/W/21/3274821 pedestrians to take safe refuge. Although the distance to St. Keverne is not large, these characteristics are such that travel to them by non-car means would likely be unattractive, particularly in low light or inclement weather. In the face of these clear deterrents, there is no substantive evidence that people would walk or cycle. 6. There are two existing holiday cottages and a bed and breakfast use at Chywoon Farm. LP Policy 5 supports business development, generally, and the expansion of existing rural businesses. However, this is under the aim of seeking to ensure a continued supply of appropriate business space and new employment land. While tourism may be important to the local economy, it has not been demonstrated that the proposal would increase employment opportunities or provide what could realistically be termed as business space. There is no indication of the scale of benefit that would be realised to the existing business or employment generation. I, therefore, find no support from this part of LP Policy 5. 7. LP Policy 5 also allows the development of tourism facilities, including high quality, sustainable, tourism accommodation.

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision The appellant suggests that the proposal would allow the exisitng tourism business at Chywoon Farm to expand and that there is greater demand for larger or high spec ‘eco’ properties than for smaller holiday lets. However, there is no detailed evidence with this outline application to substantiate this, or the assertion that the proposal would be a high-tech, low carbon architecturally designed eco house of moderate proportion. Nor is it clear how, being described on the application form as a two-bedroom bungalow, the proposal would meet the stated tourist demand. 8. Furthermore, Policy 5 requires that that the proposal should be of a scale appropriate to its location and accessibility. While I appreciate that the majority of visitors to Cornwall may arrive by private car, there would be a significant expansion of the existing holiday letting business at the site, relative to the existing accommodation provision. The accessibility shortcomings that I have identified would make future occupiers largely, if not wholly, dependent upon private cars for all of their day-to-day activities and recreation opportunities. 9.

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision I, therefore, find that the proposal would not provide high quality accommodation at an appropriate scale to its location and accessibiltiy. It would, therefore, conflict with LP Policy 5. Character and appearance 10. Any development at the site would be seen in context with the existing built form at Chywoon Farm. While it is surrounded by open countryside, and seen in close relationship to it, the topography limits views towards the site from outside the building group. Although there are no details, the appellant describes a single storey, or split-level building on the site of existing, albeit somewhat dilapidated structures. 11. I, therefore, find no reason that a suitably designed detailed proposal would conflict with those aims of LP Policies 12 or 23 that seek to prevent harm the character and apperance of the area, or preserve scenic beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/D0840/W/21/3274821 Conclusion 12. While there would be no harm to the character and appearance of the area, this is a neutral consideration. The proposal would not be appropriately located with regard to accessibility and so I find that it conflicts with the development plan, read as a whole. 13. For the reasons given I, therefore, conclude that the appeal should be dismissed.

Chywoon Farm, St. Keverne, HELSTON, TR12 6NT — Cornwall Council — M Bale INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 3