A Cornish town council is urging all other local authorities in the county to join forces in passing a “no confidence” motion against Cornwall Council’s planning and enforcement department.

Marazion’s mayor and its other councillors says planning decisions are leading to Cornwall becoming “a less beautiful place”.

It has also criticised what it believes is a lack of enforcement action which is “allowing chancers, cowboy builders and money grabbers to know they can ignore planning law”.

Marazion Town Council unanimously passed a motion of no confidence in Cornwall Council’s planning and enforcement department in November. It has now written to all town and parish councils across the Duchy asking them to pass a similar motion so they can collectively demand that the unitary authority reviews its planning protocol to ensure Cornwall “remains a beautiful and special place to live”.

The West Cornwall town’s mayor John Nicholas said: “Marazion Town Council did not take this vote lightly. We have met with the head of planning and of enforcement to highlight our concerns, raised it with the elected portfolio holder and our Cornwall councillor, and expressed our deep dissatisfaction to the chief executive and leader of the council. All to no avail.

“As a statutory consultee, the town council has consistently attempted to work as a constructive force so that our area has the homes it needs for local people and businesses can expand. We provide our views to ensure that other properties are not adversely affected under current planning law, that Cornwall’s landscape, areas of outstanding natural beauty and our conservation area are kept pristine condition, and that our town remains a place people want to live. Yet our knowledge and views keep being brushed off by planning officers for little good reason.”

He added: “Our council includes residents whose families can be traced back generations living in the town. We pride ourselves in knowing what brings benefits for both businesses and local residents. We also are architects, urban planners, people working in local government and residents who have undertaken planning courses offered by Cornwall Council in order to effectively scrutinise planning applications. We know planning law and know what will best serve the interests of our town.

“We do not object because we do not like something – we object because it falls foul of current planning law and/or is not in keeping with the place we serve. Yet despite this Cornwall Council officers routinely ignore and bypass our view.”

The mayor said: “When Cornwall Council rejects our assessments on a particular planning application, the town council then has to undertake a ludicrous bureaucratic dance of having to write back within five working days to ‘agree to disagree’ with the decision of the planning officer. This linguistic gymnastics is solely designed to prevent town and parish councils from ‘calling in’ a decision to the planning committee they disagree with as set out in the little known Cornwall Council planning protocol.

“The criteria under the current protocol for getting a planning decision reviewed by the elected member led committee lies almost exclusively with the head of paid service. It is both undemocratic and designed to make officers lives easier at the expense of good decision-making and the feelings of local communities.”

Cllr Nicholas argues that planning enforcement has become non-existent. “Cornwall Council routinely fails to enforce remedial action for breaches of planning. Their failure to undertake even some of the most basic enforcement activities is allowing chancers, cowboy builders and money grabbers to know they can ignore planning law, do what they want and Cornwall Council will not lift a finger against them.”

Marazion Town Council is asking other authorities which agree with them to email [email protected] before Friday, February 28, 2025, so it can collect signatories.

Cornwall Council have been contacted for a response.