A CAMPAIGN group has criticised the Duchy of Cornwall in a television documentary for allowing a developer beach access at Whipsiderry to undertake cliff reinforcement works.

Andrew Robey from Save Whipsiderry Cliffs appeared on the Channel 4 Dispatches programme titled ‘The King, the Prince and their millions’.

The Duchy reportedly received £7,500 in return for giving permission for the developer’s contractors to work on the foreshore ahead of building seven luxury houses on the site of the former Paradise Cove Hotel.

Campaigners had repeatedly called for the Duchy to withdraw the beach access to the contractors following King Charles and Prince William speaking publicly about the importance of protecting the land and coastline for future generations.

The Duchy did eventually suspend the licence to the developer after protestors clashed with security and concerns were raised the cliff could collapse at any time but around eight months later there were three major cliff falls.

The money the Duchy received from the developer to work at Whipsiderry Beach was included in an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.

The programme revealed that the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster reportedly made about £50-million in the past year alone from charging rent to the Ministry of Defence and the cash-strapped NHS, as well as schools and charities across the country.

But despite operating as a commercial venture and providing income for both the King and Prince William, the Duchies are run as private estates and are exempt from paying corporation and capital gains tax.

Andrew Robey from Save Whipsiderry Beach said: “When I see the Duchy talk about environment, I just feel like their words are hollow.

“There was an opportunity for them along the way to stop it. When you own so much it is hard to comprehend how people could appreciate such a small beach.

“It gets lost in a mass swatch of land they own. They don’t have that connection. They clearly do not understand who we are and what we value.”

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said: “Cornwall Council granted full planning consent for the erection of seven new holiday homes on the site of the former Paradise Cove Hotel above Whipsiderry Beach. The Duchy does not own the development site or the cliff face.

“The Duchy originally granted a licence at Whipsiderry beach to allow a third-party developer to access land immediately adjoining the Duchy estate within the ownership of the developer. 

"The Duchy takes a responsible and considered approach to such requests and granted access on the basis that these works be carried out in a safe manner and that all necessary consents were in place, including observing bird nesting restrictions.

"The Duchy suspended the licence in 2023 in order for discussions between the developer and the relevant statutory authorities to take place and for those authorities to determine if and how the consented work could take place in a safe and compliant manner.

“We understand those discussions have been ongoing, set against the context of the subsequent rock falls. The Duchy understands the concerns of local residents and supports their democratic right to peacefully protest.”