Planning permission granted for Newquay community garden project

Planning permission has been granted to transform a community space in Newquay into a more welcoming and accessible area.

The Crantock Street Community Garden previously secured up to £100,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding from Cornwall Council, using money collected from developers. The project has also attracted additional funding from other sources.

Cornwall Council required the group to have a lease in place and submit a planning application before funding could be confirmed.

Chair Anna Jay said: “We have been granted Planning Permission so that the project can go ahead. We had never really doubted that this would be the case, but with these things, you never know.

“We would like to say a HUGE thank you to Laurence Associates in Truro for giving us pro-bono support with the process. We had to raid the coffers to pay for the planning application process, but without Tom and Richard at Laurence Associates expertise and generosity of time we wouldn't have been able to get through the process properly.”

The group says the garden will be open to everyone in the community, whether for resting, play, accessibility or use by local groups.

A “breaking ground” event, planned for Saturday 25 April, has now been cancelled after the contractor appointed to carry out the redevelopment withdrew due to ill health.

In a letter to supporters, Ms Jay said the decision had affected the project’s timeline.

“However, we are very sorry to share that, due to unexpected ill-health, our appointed contractor has had to withdraw from the project at the very last minute. This has understandably impacted our timeline.”

The event had been due to involve preparing the site for redevelopment, including lifting and rehoming existing plants, as well as giving people the opportunity to meet the project team and learn more about the plans.

Organisers say they are now working to appoint a new contractor and establish a revised schedule for the work.