A MEETING is to be held to discuss a controversial application to remove the obligation to pay nearly £350,000 in infrastructure contributions to the town.

Bodmin Town Council will discuss the application at its planning committee meeting to be held at its Lyndhurst House property at 66 St Nicholas Street on Tuesday, August 4. The meeting begins at 6.30pm.

Members of the public are able to attend this meeting, where Bodmin Town Council will finalise its response to the application.

While it is Cornwall Council that will make the final decision, as part of the present planning process, Bodmin Town Council is invited to respond as a statutory consultee.

Wainhomes, a large housing developer which recently obtained planning permission to build 58 open market dwellings on land to the east of Pandarosa Farm on St Lawrence Road in Bodmin, has applied to Cornwall Council seeking to remove its obligation to pay £348,748 towards the town’s health and education infrastructure.

The developer stated in the application that doing so makes the project ‘unviable’ – which in the context of housing developments means that it is likely to deliver a profit of under 17.5 per cent.

It submitted a report by consultants Vickery Holman that states that the scheme as-is with the financial obligations would mean that the developer would not achieve a sufficient profit to make the scheme viable.

If the obligation to pay the contributions was maintained, it would deliver a profit of around 10 per cent, whereas if the obligation was removed the profit becomes 13.13 per cent, which Vickery Holman’s analysis stated would improve the situation.

In a press release after the confirmation of planning approval, Wainhomes said its infrastructure payments would be a benefit of the development.

Steve Goldsworthy, regional managing director at Wain Homes, said at the time: “We’re pleased to be bringing forward plans that will not only deliver new homes but also support local infrastructure, including land for a new primary school and nursery.

“Bodmin is a well-connected and growing town, and we expect strong interest in the development when homes are released later this year.”

If the application is approved by Cornwall Council, it would mean that the development for 58 open market properties would not include any developer contribution to infrastructure in the town.

Wainhomes did not respond to a request for comment about their application to remove this obligation.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.