What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Neighbourhood Plan is basically a set of planning policies devised by local communities, for their local area. Once a Neighbourhood Plan has been approved by local people in a referendum, it will be used by the local planning authority (Cornwall Council) to help it decide planning applications within the Penzance Civil Parish.
Which areas are included in the Penzance Neighbourhood Plan?
Our Plan covers the Civil Parish of Penzance (the area covered by Penzance Council), including:
- Penzance
- Newlyn
- Mousehole
- Paul
- Heamoor
- Gulval
- Eastern Green
Why a referendum?
It’s a legal requirement: the Neighbourhood Plan must be approved by a simple majority of votes cast by the electors.
The Plan has already been through extensive consultation: hundreds of local residents, businesses and other stakeholders have shared their views with us and helped us decide our policies. It has been approved by Penzance Council and Cornwall Council, and signed off by an independent expert examiner. It is now down to the local electors to give their final seal of approval. Once that has happened, the policies in the Plan will be used in deciding every planning application within the plan area. More details are here:
Who wrote it?
The Penzance Neighbourhood Plan was largely produced by local volunteers, including representatives from all the individual communities within the Penzance Parish. This “Community Link Group” organised questionnaires and drop-ins, and used the feedback to develop policies that reflect what local people want.
Where can I see the Plan?
Alternatively, a printed copy is available for you to consult at the Penzance Council office:
Penzance Council
Penlee Centre
Penlee Park
Penzance TR18 4HE
Office opening hours:
Monday – Friday:
9am – 4pm
Will it work, and how long will it last?
Yes, it will work. The government has introduced changes to the planning system, but the Plan is still effective because it passed examination before those changes took effect. The Plan will remain in force until 2030, when it will be due for a review.
Will it solve the housing crisis?
Housing policy sits mainly with central government and Cornwall Council, so there are limits on what our Plan can do. But the Plan supports and encourages affordable and social housing, alongside alternative solutions such as live/work units, modular housing and town centre living.
What about second homes?
The Plan recognises that parts of the Parish have very high numbers of second homes. A ‘Principal Residence’ policy within the Plan means that new-build homes in certain areas will be legally restricted to occupancy as a principal residence only. This will apply to second-home “hot spots” in our area, including Mousehole, Paul, Tredavoe, parts of Newlyn centre, and areas around Penzance prom and harbour.
Does the Plan protect our open spaces?
Yes. Over 80 green spaces have been identified across the Penzance Parish that will be protected from development.
Most of these are designated as “Local Green Spaces”, the highest degree of protection under national planning policy. These include all the existing allotments in the Parish and all public parks and gardens, alongside much-loved spots such as:
- Poltair Woods, Boscathnoe Lakes, the Old School Field and the Old Burial Ground in Heamoor
- Newlyn Green, Bowjey and Keel Alley in Newlyn
- Paul Cholera Field and Tredavoe Green
- Bluebell Dell at Mount Misery, and most of the Lariggan Valley between Alverton and Wherry Town
- The Lescudjack open space, and the amenity spaces in Jack Stephens Estate, Pendarves Flats and St Clare Flats
- Gulval Carn, and the old and new Gulval churchyards
The rest are designated as “Areas of Open Space and Recreation”. This includes all the sports pitches and school playing fields in the Parish, including the Princess May Recreation Ground, Heamoor Rec and Alverton Field.
What are “green buffers”?
Penzance Parish is not a single urban area, but a constellation of many distinctive settlements, each with their own separate character and identity. The Plan identifies a set of “green buffers”, to ensure that the places where we live don’t lose their identity by being joined up through “urban sprawl”.
We’ve also recognised the importance of the river valleys that run through our communities – Trevaylor Stream, Chyandour Brook, Lariggan River and Newlyn Coombe River – as biodiversity corridors linking moor and sea.
Where can I view the Evidence Base?
You can view our evidence base below, including previous consultation data, which supports the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan.