Woodlands at Trenant Vale

The Town Council are disappointed that they were unable to acquire the woodlands at Trenant Vale in Wadebridge which were sold yesterday.  After several weeks of negotiation and making a bid prior to auction (which was rejected by the seller) the woodland area was sold at auction in London yesterday for £24k.  There were also further costs of £4.5k in addition to the purchase price.  You may recall that the woodland has been subject to previous planning applications for 9 dwellings.  Planning permission was refused by Cornwall Council and the owner then took this to appeal where the original decision to refuse was upheld by the Planning Inspectorate.

We had informed the auctioneers that the way in which the current sale of the woodlands was being promoted was disingenuous as it was still being suggested that it could be split into 9 building plots.  If you recall the reason for the refusal of planning permission at this site was that:

The site comprises part of a green, vegetated, undeveloped, broad leaf woodland, which forms an important part of the wider sylvan character in this part of Wadebridge. The site represents a green wedge between the St Matthews Hill residential estate and the housing estate of West Park and makes a significant contribution to the visual quality and amenity of the town. The proposed development of the site would result in the direct loss of further woodland, the removal of hedgerows and the loss of undeveloped green infrastructure and would materially harm the character and appearance of the area. 

Links to the REFUSED planning applications are shown below as is the link to the Planning Inspectorate decision.

PA17/02074 - PA17/02074 | Outline application for proposed residential development of up to 9 dwellings (all matters reserved) | Land South West Of Trenant Mill Trenant Vale Wadebridge PL27 6UJ (cornwall.gov.uk)

PA17/08484 - PA17/08484 | Outline Application with all matters reserved for proposed residential development of up to 9 dwellings (resubmission of PA17/02074) | Land South West Of Trenant Mill Trenant Vale Wadebridge PL27 6UJ (cornwall.gov.uk)

Planning Inspectorate Refusal - Heading 9 (cornwall.gov.uk)

We wish the new owners’ good luck with their purchase.  We trust that they will protect and preserve this green corridor which is bursting with flora, fauna and wildlife for future generations to come and ensure that the safe access which our community has enjoyed for so many years is maintained.  Green space in our town has never been so important.