The Individual Decision Day of Cornwall Council on Wednesday 8 July 2026 saw the adoption of a strategy to manage coastal change in Mounts Bay and the endorsement of new guidance notes to support housing delivery. Decisions were also made regarding the future management of council-owned land at Little Halgavor, Bodmin, and Glebe Farm, St Endellion, Port Isaac.

Mounts Bay Coastal Resilience Strategy Adopted

Cornwall Council formally adopted the Mounts Bay Coastal Resilience Strategy, a long-term plan to manage flood and coastal erosion risks along approximately 15 kilometres of coastline through to 2100. The strategy aims to protect transport infrastructure, heritage assets, and communities from the increasing impacts of coastal change, including rising sea levels and extreme weather events. The preferred approach includes maintaining harbour defences, introducing wave energy reduction measures at Penzance Promenade, and implementing sandscaping at Longrock. A public consultation indicated strong support for the strategy, with over 90% of respondents agreeing that coastal change is a significant issue for the area.

New Guidance to Boost Housing Delivery

Two Planning Policy Guidance Notes were endorsed to support the delivery of diverse housing types and address viability challenges in Cornwall. The Homes for All guidance promotes a range of housing tenures and development models, including social and affordable housing, discounted market sale homes, and supported accommodation. The Housing Viability Guidance Note introduces time-limited amendments to Local Plan policies in more affordable communities to help unlock the delivery of additional homes. These notes will be used by the Local Planning Authority in determining future planning applications, aiming to address a significant housing need, with over 20,000 households on the housing register and more than 800 at risk of homelessness.

Future Management of Council Land Approved

The council agreed to enter into a Planning Promotion Agreement for approximately 11 acres of grazing land at Little Halgavor, Bodmin, to facilitate housing development and transportation links. This decision was made despite some concerns raised by members regarding the late publication of the report and the lack of prior scrutiny by the Sustainable Growth and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The agreement will see a Promoter lead the process of securing planning consent and bringing the site to market. The council also declared the land surplus to requirements and agreed to dispose of it following the grant of satisfactory planning consent.

Additionally, a Conditional Contract agreement was approved for the disposal of approximately 11.5 acres of bare land and former farmyard buildings at Glebe Farm, St Endellion, Port Isaac, PL29 3TP, to Tre Haven Community Land Trust. This land is intended for affordable housing and commercial uses, addressing a local housing need for 45 households. The disposal is subject to the Trust obtaining acceptable planning consent. Concerns were raised during discussions about the definition of local people in relation to housing occupancy and the potential for market sale of homes, with assurances given that the primary aim is to provide homes for rent for local residents. The property will be declared surplus and disposed of subject to the terms of the Conditional Contract being satisfied.

Question on Land Disposal

A question was raised by Mr Graham Smith of St Mabyn regarding the disposal of agricultural land for 25 homes on 11.5 acres without public tender. The Asset Management Lead explained that this was a locally-led scheme, initiated by the parish and local community, where the group would pay market value for the land. The approach was justified as facilitating a bottom-up idea with local solutions for local people. The decision to proceed via an Individual Decision Day was highlighted to ensure visibility and allow for public questions.