Two parish councils have strongly objected to proposals for a 1,800-bed student village which they say would be one of the largest developments in Cornwall.

The Halo Village development, previously known as Penvose, near the Penryn Campus of Falmouth University – which was given outline permission in 2018 – is being discussed again at a meeting of Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee today (Thursday, June 15).

Councillors will decide on a reserved matters application for appearance, landscaping, layout and scale, which has been recommended for approval by planning officers. However, both nearby Ponsanooth and Mabe parish councils have objected on various grounds, claiming it would have a "significant impact" on the area and have highlighted road safety concerns.

How the Halo Village student development near Penryn could look (Image: Verto)

The 20 hectare site would see 1,858 beds for students (reduced from the previously agreed 2,000), a park and ride facility, over 600 parking spaces including 300 for students, a 48-bed budget hotel, a pub, restaurant, café and hot food takeaway, a shopping parade, doctor's surgery, children's day nursery and sports and leisure facilities, including gym, yoga studio, squash and tennis courts, and sports clinic.

Accommodation for the students would include 1,585 en-suite and studio beds within 42 clustered apartment blocks, 273 beds within 25 townhouses including 97 wheelchair-accessible units.

In 2018 planning officers recommended refusal on the grounds that it was contrary to the council's development plan, it would have "significant" landscape impact and the pedestrian and cycle links were considered unacceptable. The strategic planning committee rejected the suggestion and voted 12 to two to grant approval.

The new aspects of the proposal have been brought before the committee again by Cllr Peter Williams, whose patch covers the site, due to the concerns of the local councils. Planning officer Peter Bainbridge said in his report: "The concerns of local people and parish councils who object to the development are understood. However, they do not warrant a refusal of permission."

Ponsanooth Parish Council has issued a long and detailed letter of objection to the plan. The council states: "It is clear to that there are some very significant concerns to raise with this reserved matters application, which are shared with Mabe Parish Council. The application lacks information in a number of key areas none more so with the unsafe movement of people. There is a significant lack of consultee comment advice available. The development would be one of the largest in Cornwall where there is little or no infrastructure in place.

"Worryingly the applicants appear to be disassociating themselves from the highway concerns and instead laying these issues at the door of Cornwall Council, from whom we cannot obtain any advice. This development is an unwanted scheme that will do nothing to support neighbouring communities. We request that the planning committee acknowledge the significance of these concerns and refuse planning permission."

The council stated that the development was not supported by either university on the campus – the University of Exeter and Falmouth University – "and we know from recent correspondence that this position has not changed".

Ponsanooth council added that the university had also now confirmed it is not progressing with plans to expand its campus north across Treliever Road which would have connected this scheme to the main campus, and instead will now focus its future development on the existing campus. "To all intents and purposes therefore this scheme would remain an isolated development on a huge scale and would be one of the largest developments in Cornwall bringing all its attendant challenges on utilities and infrastructure. It is difficult to comprehend the vast size of this scheme on open undeveloped countryside," adds the council's statement.

"We now also know that there are far fewer students currently enrolled at Penryn Campus than predicted even when the outline application was submitted, and we also know there is sufficient capacity to house students in existing purpose-built student accommodation. The need for an alternative campus-style solution here simply does not exist, thus negating the need for any development at Penvose Farm."

Both parish councils raised concerns about road safety issues around "the inadequate and unsafe proposals for connecting this development to the main campus at Tremough for students and others. The approved drawings show a single shared use path linking the development site all the way to the campus at an access point mid-way down the Penryn bypass. There are no proposals for a footpath leading to the main entrance of the Penryn campus. Students would have to access the university across the Treliever Road junction and walk alongside the double mini junction. There are two potential routes for students and they are both unacceptably dangerous".

The councils highlighted that there had been two deaths in the last 12 months on the roads around the area "demonstrating that pedestrians are not suited to the fast-moving rural A road network in the area. One of these deaths occurred exactly at the crossing point where students would be expected to enter the campus on the Penryn bypass".

The planning officer's report states that the main access to the site and the pedestrian/cycle link to the university campus along the A39 were approved when outline planning permission was granted. The wider impact of the development on the highway network was also considered at that stage. It states: "There were concerns at that time, but ultimately the proposal was found to be acceptable, as the benefits of the development outweighed the harm."

The report adds: "Both Ponsanooth and Mabe parish councils have submitted strong objections to the proposal. Many of the concerns relate to matters that were dealt with when planning permission was granted and so matters relating to highway safety, student numbers, viability and mix of uses cannot be revisited as part of this application.

"Prior to and during the course of the application significant improvements were made to the application to address various concerns raised by consultees. It is considered that a high quality scheme has been achieved. In the absence of significant harm resulting from the matters which are the subject of this application and on the basis that the development does comply with the relevant policies in the development, it is recommended that reserved matters consent should be granted."

Halo Village is the brainchild of Cornish company Verto, the UK's first house builder to specialise in the design, construction and sale of Zero Carbon Smart Homes. The company is based in Truro.