Planning Policy Guidance
Cornwall Council will use the following documents as material considerations. These are used in the determination of planning applications. They consist of:
- Concept Plans
- Supplementary Planning Documents
- Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans
- Development Briefs
- Other Planning Guidance
Concept Plans
Concept plans are important. They provide more detail about how larger or more complex sites should be brought forward for development. The aim of concept plans is to:
- seek to create comprehensive high quality and distinctive new neighbourhoods. These will have appropriate services and facilities for local residents.
- aim to raise the quality of development coming forward. This is done by setting out more detail and information relating to larger sites. These sites are allocated for development within the Cornwall Site Allocations DPD.
The plans will set out where different uses should be located. These uses include:
- residential
- employment space
- open spaces
- other community infrastructure
They also set out important pedestrian, cycle and vehicle routes, to enable ease of movement and more sustainable travel.
Biodiversity Net Gain Chief Planning Officer’s Advice Note
Biodiversity Net Gain aims to:
- make space for nature in development
- leave the natural world in a measurably better state than beforehand
It will set out the Council’s position on the requirement for major development proposals to demonstrate a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. It also provides guidance on how to make an application that satisfies this requirement.
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD)
SPD are documents that are produced to provide more detailed advice and guidance. These supplement policies and proposals contained in the Local Plan. National planning policy allows Local Planning Authorities to supplement the policies contained in the Local Plan. These should be supplemented with SPDs. SPDs provide detailed guidance on specific topics or issues. Older versions were known as Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG).
Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site SPD
The Cornish Mining World Heritage Site is a designated heritage asset. It is desgnated of the highest significance internationally. This SPD has been written primarily to help planning officers and elected members on planning committees. It will help them when making decisions on development that could affect the World Heritage Site. Such development could affect the site's Outstanding Universal Value or international significance. The SPD also provides an insight for those wishing to submit planning applications within the World Heritage Site. This could be developers or others. This SPD was adopted on the 31 May 2017:
The following SPD are proposed for revision to SPD or as new guidance:
- Cornwall Built and Natural Environment Quality Guide SPD
- European Sites Mitigation SPD
- Historic Environment SPD
- Housing SPD
- Renewable Energy SPD
- St Austell China Clay Restoration and Tipping Strategy SPD
Planning Guidance
Other planning guidance is available, including:
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Extra Care and Enhanced Sheltered Accommodation
- Changing Places Toilets
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Preparing Concept Plans and Masterplans
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Strategic Employment Sites
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Infill/Rounding Off
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Good Design in Cornwall
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Holiday Occupancy Conditions. (NB Minor changes were made to Footnote 1 in December 2019.)
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Planning for Air Quality
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Coastal Change
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Town Renewal and Priorities Assessment. This will help inform how Cornwall Council will proactively manage the potential change of uses within our towns.
-
Cornwall Planning for Biodiversity Guide. This was adopted as a Council document in October 2018. The Biodiversity Guide sets out a new approach by Cornwall Council for achieving a gain for nature within development sites. It does this by encouraging more biodiverse green and blue space within development sites. These include parks, ponds and corridors of open green space along rivers and hedges. It also gives prescriptive measures for the provision of bat and bird boxes and bee bricks. This is to make space for nature and the expected quality of ecological reporting for planning applications.
-
Drainage Guidance. New development should be sustainable. In flood risk terms, this means that development should be directed to areas at the lowest risk of flooding. Development should not make existing flood risk worse. Development should reduce existing overall flood risk where possible. The Cornwall Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) provides a tool to assess the flood risk in Cornwall. The SFRA provides essential information for planners and developers. This helps them to manage development, to limit flood risk to people and property wherever possible and manage the risk elsewhere.
- Renewable Energy Planning Advice. This was adopted as a council document in March 2016. This Planning Advice provides guidance on a range of renewable energy technologies. It explains what community ownership means and how it might be considered as part of a planning application. It also contains detailed guidance on specific considerations. These include landscape and cumulative impact (in particular for wind turbines and solar farms). As such, the Planning Advice provides a proactive tool guide for new development. It informs planning decisions and supports the development of Neighbourhood Plans across Cornwall.
Development Briefs
Development Briefs provide information that can be used as material considerations. This is in the determination of relevant planning applications. Development Briefs. Those approved and under consideration by Cornwall Council are:
- Land North of the A390 Truro-Threemilestone. Please note this is a large document and may take a while to download.
-
St Clare Development Brief. The proposed development brief comprises of the following documents:
Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans
Conservation Area Appraisal or Management Plan | Date |
Breage Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Camborne Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan: Camborne Part 1, Camborne Part 2, Camborne Part 3 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Helston Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy: Helston Part 1, Helston Part 2, Helston Part 3 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Plain-an-Gwarry Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Porthleven Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Redruth Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy: Redruth Part 1, Redruth Part 2, Redruth Part 3, Redruth Part 4, Redruth Part 5, Redruth Part 6 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
St Day Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Tuckingmill and Roskear Conservation Area Appraisal: Tuckingmill Part 1, Tuckingmill Part 2, Tuckingmill Part 3 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Conservation Area Appraisal or Management Plan | Date |
Blisland Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2007 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
Bodmin Town Conservation Area Character Appraisal | Adopted 1999 |
Camelford Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2007 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
Chapel Amble Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Hicks Mill Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Kilkhampton Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Little Petherick Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Luckett Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Marhamchurch Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Padstow Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1994 |
Polyphant Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
St Breock Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
St Kew Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2008 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
St Teath Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2008 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
St Tudy Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2008 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
Stoke Climsland Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Treligga Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Week St Mary Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Conservation Area Appraisal or Management Plan |
Date |
Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
|
Tywardreath Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Polkerris Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Crantock Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Fowey Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Grampound Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Pentewan Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Luxulyan Valley Conservation Management Plan: Report, Illustrations, Gazetteer Part 1, Gazetteer Part 2, Gazetteer Part 3 | July 2013 |
Charlestown Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan: Report, Fig1: Historical Development Map, Fig2: Townscape Analysis Map, Fig3: 1842 Tithe Map, Fig4: 1880 Historic Map, Fig5: 1907 Historic Map, Fig6: 1936 Historic Map |
March 2013 |
St Austell Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan: St Austell Part 1, St Austell Part 2, St Austell Part 3, St Austell Part4, Map1, Map2, Map3, Map4, Map5, Map6, Map7, Map8, Map9, Map10, Map11, Map12 |
March 2013 |
Cornwall Council will use the following documents as material considerations. These are used in the determination of planning applications. They consist of:
Concept plans are important. They provide more detail about how larger or more complex sites should be brought forward for development. The aim of concept plans is to:
- seek to create comprehensive high quality and distinctive new neighbourhoods. These will have appropriate services and facilities for local residents.
- aim to raise the quality of development coming forward. This is done by setting out more detail and information relating to larger sites. These sites are allocated for development within the Cornwall Site Allocations DPD.
The plans will set out where different uses should be located. These uses include:
- residential
- employment space
- open spaces
- other community infrastructure
They also set out important pedestrian, cycle and vehicle routes, to enable ease of movement and more sustainable travel.
Biodiversity Net Gain aims to:
- make space for nature in development
- leave the natural world in a measurably better state than beforehand
It will set out the Council’s position on the requirement for major development proposals to demonstrate a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. It also provides guidance on how to make an application that satisfies this requirement.
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD)
SPD are documents that are produced to provide more detailed advice and guidance. These supplement policies and proposals contained in the Local Plan. National planning policy allows Local Planning Authorities to supplement the policies contained in the Local Plan. These should be supplemented with SPDs. SPDs provide detailed guidance on specific topics or issues. Older versions were known as Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG).
Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site SPD
The Cornish Mining World Heritage Site is a designated heritage asset. It is desgnated of the highest significance internationally. This SPD has been written primarily to help planning officers and elected members on planning committees. It will help them when making decisions on development that could affect the World Heritage Site. Such development could affect the site's Outstanding Universal Value or international significance. The SPD also provides an insight for those wishing to submit planning applications within the World Heritage Site. This could be developers or others. This SPD was adopted on the 31 May 2017:
The following SPD are proposed for revision to SPD or as new guidance:
- Cornwall Built and Natural Environment Quality Guide SPD
- European Sites Mitigation SPD
- Historic Environment SPD
- Housing SPD
- Renewable Energy SPD
- St Austell China Clay Restoration and Tipping Strategy SPD
Other planning guidance is available, including:
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Extra Care and Enhanced Sheltered Accommodation
- Changing Places Toilets
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Preparing Concept Plans and Masterplans
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Strategic Employment Sites
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Infill/Rounding Off
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Good Design in Cornwall
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Holiday Occupancy Conditions. (NB Minor changes were made to Footnote 1 in December 2019.)
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Planning for Air Quality
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Coastal Change
- Chief Planning Officer's Advice Note on Town Renewal and Priorities Assessment. This will help inform how Cornwall Council will proactively manage the potential change of uses within our towns.
-
Cornwall Planning for Biodiversity Guide. This was adopted as a Council document in October 2018. The Biodiversity Guide sets out a new approach by Cornwall Council for achieving a gain for nature within development sites. It does this by encouraging more biodiverse green and blue space within development sites. These include parks, ponds and corridors of open green space along rivers and hedges. It also gives prescriptive measures for the provision of bat and bird boxes and bee bricks. This is to make space for nature and the expected quality of ecological reporting for planning applications.
-
Drainage Guidance. New development should be sustainable. In flood risk terms, this means that development should be directed to areas at the lowest risk of flooding. Development should not make existing flood risk worse. Development should reduce existing overall flood risk where possible. The Cornwall Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) provides a tool to assess the flood risk in Cornwall. The SFRA provides essential information for planners and developers. This helps them to manage development, to limit flood risk to people and property wherever possible and manage the risk elsewhere.
- Renewable Energy Planning Advice. This was adopted as a council document in March 2016. This Planning Advice provides guidance on a range of renewable energy technologies. It explains what community ownership means and how it might be considered as part of a planning application. It also contains detailed guidance on specific considerations. These include landscape and cumulative impact (in particular for wind turbines and solar farms). As such, the Planning Advice provides a proactive tool guide for new development. It informs planning decisions and supports the development of Neighbourhood Plans across Cornwall.
Development Briefs provide information that can be used as material considerations. This is in the determination of relevant planning applications. Development Briefs. Those approved and under consideration by Cornwall Council are:
- Land North of the A390 Truro-Threemilestone. Please note this is a large document and may take a while to download.
-
St Clare Development Brief. The proposed development brief comprises of the following documents:
Conservation Area Appraisal or Management Plan | Date |
Breage Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Camborne Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan: Camborne Part 1, Camborne Part 2, Camborne Part 3 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Helston Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy: Helston Part 1, Helston Part 2, Helston Part 3 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Plain-an-Gwarry Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Porthleven Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Redruth Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy: Redruth Part 1, Redruth Part 2, Redruth Part 3, Redruth Part 4, Redruth Part 5, Redruth Part 6 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
St Day Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Tuckingmill and Roskear Conservation Area Appraisal: Tuckingmill Part 1, Tuckingmill Part 2, Tuckingmill Part 3 | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Conservation Area Appraisal or Management Plan | Date |
Blisland Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2007 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
Bodmin Town Conservation Area Character Appraisal | Adopted 1999 |
Camelford Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2007 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
Chapel Amble Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Hicks Mill Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Kilkhampton Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Little Petherick Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Luckett Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Marhamchurch Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Padstow Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1994 |
Polyphant Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
St Breock Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
St Kew Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2008 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
St Teath Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2008 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
St Tudy Conservation Area Statement - please note - an updated version of this document was endorsed at Committee in 2008 - available in Conservation Area Appraisals below | Adopted 1997 |
Stoke Climsland Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Treligga Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Week St Mary Conservation Area Statement | Adopted 1997 |
Conservation Area Appraisal or Management Plan |
Date |
Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
|
Tywardreath Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Polkerris Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Crantock Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Fowey Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Grampound Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Pentewan Conservation Area Appraisal | Endorsed by Cornwall Council April 2010 |
Luxulyan Valley Conservation Management Plan: Report, Illustrations, Gazetteer Part 1, Gazetteer Part 2, Gazetteer Part 3 | July 2013 |
Charlestown Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan: Report, Fig1: Historical Development Map, Fig2: Townscape Analysis Map, Fig3: 1842 Tithe Map, Fig4: 1880 Historic Map, Fig5: 1907 Historic Map, Fig6: 1936 Historic Map |
March 2013 |
St Austell Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan: St Austell Part 1, St Austell Part 2, St Austell Part 3, St Austell Part4, Map1, Map2, Map3, Map4, Map5, Map6, Map7, Map8, Map9, Map10, Map11, Map12 |
March 2013 |