Penryn College Valley new housing protest held

Campaigner say the valley is the wrong site for housing

Campaigners against new housing in a Cornish valley have held a demonstration on the site.

About 180 protesters attended the event at College Valley in Penryn which has been earmarked by the town council for 200 homes.

Organiser Ben Bowskill said homes would have a "horrendous impact" on the area's wildlife and appearance.

The council said it had to plan for population growth "in the least damaging way for the town overall".

A petition against the development has been signed by more than 2,000 people.

Campaigners said: "We believe this is not the site for a development of this size.

"It will not only put an overwhelming burden on an already stressed infrastructure but will cause irreversible damage to this beautiful landscape and wildlife, as well as destroy a fundamental part of the town's history and its largest and last remaining greenbelt."

Penryn Town Council, which has earmarked the site for housing in its local development plan, said it had considered other options, but the valley site was the "least damaging".

It said: "The town council recognises and understands that this decision will not be popular in all quarters but also has to recognise responsibility to plan for the inevitability of population growth."

The development plan will now go through public consultation on dates yet to be confirmed before it is considered by Cornwall Council.