PLANS to allow Boardmasters a permanent planning consent for the annual use of the festival site at Watergate Bay are earmarked for approval.

Planning officer Mark Evans is recommending the planning application for approval stating it is acceptable on balance despite its impact on local residents, businesses and the surrounding environment.

The scheme involves the annual use of land for the Boardmasters Festival and the construction of two additional pedestrian accessways together with works to widen three existing accessways, which includes hedgerow removal.

The main festival arena at Trebelsue Farm would be extended from 184.5 hectares to 229.2 hectares and a footpath would be created to Porth and on to Newquay.

Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee is due to make a decision on the planning application at its meeting on Thursday, (June 13).

Mr Evans said: “A festival of this magnitude will inevitably generate some temporary impacts to local residents, businesses and the surrounding environment. It would result in harm to the character of the area and surrounding area of great landscape value.

“The proposal would introduce a considerable volume of traffic onto the local road network, particularly before and after the event, with people arriving and leaving.

“It is important to stress that the identified harms are all very much temporary impacts for the duration of the event each year and that the planning balance must be applied having regard to this context.

“The significant social and economic benefits which arise from Boardmasters must also not be overlooked.

“The applicant has demonstrated a commitment over several years in respect to safeguarding wildlife, with mitigations agreed with the RSPB and Cornwall Wildlife Trust in place that safeguard ecological interests together with measures that will generate a biodiversity net gain. These weigh in favour in the planning balance.

“Without the Boardmasters event, the extensive areas of land reserved for habitat enhancement would not be secured.”

Cornwall Council ward member John Fitter said: “I will not be supporting this application from Boardmasters.

“My position is quite clear I am not against the event and indeed wish it well in future years.

“What I am objecting to is the continuing growth which is now threatening the special qualities that make this section of coastline between Porth and Watergate Bay special, remembering as we do that this event from build out to the final breakdown of the site is over three weeks in time.

“The current site size is 184 hectares and this will increase to 229 hectares if the application is approved.

“The current space can more than cope with the current numbers and this is accepted by the applicants, so why ask for yet a greater space if it is not for continuing growth and greater numbers, there are added traffic problems that come with such growth, along with the impact of greater numbers which have a cumulative negative effect on the landscape and ecology along with the ability for local residents to carry on their normal daily life.

“It is my opinion that the applicant at this moment in time has not made the case for not only expanding the site area by almost 20 per cent more but is asking for a permanent planning consent.

“I sincerely believe that we should leave things as they are.

“The planning permission has to be renewed next year and speaking for myself I would quite happy support a further five years temporary permission as we now have the same area same numbers.”