CAMPAIGNERS are opposing new plans to build controversial luxury homes on the clifftop at Whipsiderry.
Save Whipsiderry Cliffs have raised concerns about Living Quarter Properties (Porth) Ltd’s planning application to stabilise the cliff ahead of building seven villas on the site of the former Paradise Cove Hotel.
The developer proposes to re-discharge condition two of its planning permission from 2007 and plans to insert 337 steel rods to a depth of between 15 and 25 metres into the cliff face for the holiday homes to “float on” to protect the properties for 125 years.
The campaign group is alarmed the developer’s experts AGS Ground Solutions stated in a report after reviewing the situation that the ground beneath the site is so unstable it “acts like soil.”
It follows three major cliff collapses following previous cliff stabilisation work being carried out, which involved drilling into the rock and inserting steel rods and filling the caves with concrete.
Save Whipsiderry Cliffs has staged several protests to stop the luxury homes being built on the site following fears works to stabilise the cliff will destabilise it and that the scheme will have a detrimental impact on wildlife.
A spokesperson said: “There is apparently no need to fill the caves with concrete anymore, as they don’t exist anymore, which is wrong as they can still be seen.
‘The developer wants to rod and mesh the site inserting 337 steel rods at spaces every few metres 15 to 25 metres into the cliff but before this they are going to descale all the loose material and there’s a lot.
“They need to find suitable rock to anchor the rods, but according to their own reports the ground beneath the development site “behaves more like soil.”
“This must all be completed by workers suspended on ropes with drilling machinery, as they aren’t allowed on the beach, because it’s too dangerous.”
“People should remember what happened when they drilled five rods into the cliff.
“Then just to make things even more interesting their findings are that “the ground above isn’t strong enough to hold the weight of seven holiday villas”, so this must be built on piles. So, they want to insert concrete piles 25 metres down (through the network of steel rods to find “suitable bedrock.”
“Other bonkers things in the report include no consideration for wildlife, admission they haven’t considered wave action and an admission the beach is too dangerous to work from.
“Unfortunately, this application is not open for public comments, but rest assured, we will be gathering our own feedback on this application and submitting to the council.”
Living Quarter Properties (Porth) Limited has been asked to comment on their new plans.