Concerns new garden village might not deliver new school and health centre
They are part of the plans for West Carclaze near St Austell
The developers building a new garden village of more than 1,500 homes near St Austell have admitted that some of the planned community facilities, including a health centre, may not be delivered. Eco Bos is behind the West Carclaze Garden Village on the outskirts of the town and have responded to some concerns about the development.
Local Cornwall councillor Matt Luke said this week that he feared that the development would not reflect the original vision for the scheme and that some of the services which had been promised were no longer set to happen.
The Mebyon Kernow councillor said: “We have had a brand new village imposed on us in our area whether we wanted it or not – 1,500 homes. It was meant to be 40 per cent affordable housing but I reckon it will now be about 20 per cent.The cost of the housing is way out of reach of local people.
“The school is looking like it will never come to fruition, the medical centre looks like it will never happen. The houses they are building now are nothing like the original ones which we were shown. They might be eco-friendly on energy efficiency but they are cramming them in like sardines and the living space is tiny.
“Nobody locally will be able to live there apart from the 130 homes that the council has bought, which is the best thing which has happened about it really. It is too much money (the cost of the properties) they are forgetting they are building this village in Clay Country, it is not St Ives or Carlyon Bay. They should be for working class people who are on a wage that is not very good.
“What benefits will it give the local population? If we don’t get the school or the medical centre, which is looking unlikely, it looks pretty bleak.”
Eco Bos has denied Cllr Luke’s claims about the level of affordable housing on the development saying that there will be 30 per cent affordable homes when there is a requirement for 25 per cent. They also said that the development has 30 per cent density which is “extremely low”.
Cllr Luke added: “I live in Clay country and some of us look at this development and wonder what they are thinking. It is all on old clay works in view of clay tips and they are charging huge amounts of money for these homes. They are completely out of touch.”
Dorian Beresford, chief development officer for Eco Bos, said that there was a question mark over the medical centre but said that talks were ongoing to ensure that any community facilities provided are required.
Responding to Cllr Luke’s concerns he said: “There is definitely some substance in a sense that a lot of the things that were seen as necessary and needed when the planning application was drawn up are now being reconsidered.
“There is a question mark about the appropriateness of some of those things and what we are working on now with the community very closely on is what we need. We want the doctors’ surgery but the primary care sector has a criteria for that to happen – it is largely something which is out of our hands.
“They say there needs to be an increase in residents for that to happen and we are having long conversations about that. There is a question mark about it (the health centre) but it is something that we want and see it as hugely valuable. We are really trying to bring that forward, that is something we are working on.”
As previously reported works on the new primary school are currently on hold after the contractors appointed by the academy trust and Department for Education – Caledonian Modular – went into administration. A temporary school is now planned for a site at the Eden Project to take the first intake for the new school until work can start again on the school.
Mr Beresford said that the DfE was now looking to appoint a new contractor to complete the school project and said that the temporary school at Eden would be “great”.
He added: “The school is happening, there is a definite commitment from all the partners involved in that including the Department for Education, Cornwall Council and ourselves.
“The other things that were put forward to be provided we are starting to have conversations about the appropriateness about them. There was an obligation to create things like a library, they are not going to be required, so we want to have conversations about what should go in their place. What might be appropriate for that community? They could have a shopping centre for the community.
“We see ourselves as part of the clay community, while West Carclaze might be seen as a standalone development, we are part of the community and we want to have engagement with the community.”
Mr Beresford said that the planned village centre was “100 per cent” going to be delivered and said that other elements of the development such as allotments, community orchards and gardens would also all be provided.
He said: “These are things which we have total control over and which we can deliver ourselves – the elements which might be reconsidered are all facilities which involve third parties. All of the things we want to provide will be delivered.”
The chief development officer also responded to Cllr Luke’s claims about the people moving into the homes on site saying: “Around 75 per cent have sold to really local people and I am really proud of that. We have some really lovely people who have moved in, some work in the NHS, we have young families whose young children will go to the nursery and school. The vast majority of our buyers are very local, they are in St Austell and they want to live here.
“Others have been returners who grew up in Cornwall but now have children and want to come back so that their children can grow up down here. These are families moving back to Cornwall having previously moved away.”
Mr Beresford said that due to the energy efficiency of the homes they would also be more economical and help in the current cost of living crisis which has seen energy costs rise significantly.