A new housing development which will see affordable homes built first has been given planning permission.

An outline planning application for the development on land off Greenbank in Connor Downs was narrowly voted for approval by Cornwall Council’s west sub-area planning committee on Monday.

It was the third time plans for the site had gone before the committee with initial plans for up to 70 homes on a larger site refused permission.

A new scaled-down plan for up to 30 homes was then put forward, but was deferred by the committee last month after councillors asked for more information.

This included details of the settlement boundary which had been defined in the Gwinear Gwithian Parish Neighbourhood Plan – this indicated that there was very little land within the boundary which could be developed for new homes.

However, in a strange twist at the planning committee, some claimed that the map used by planning officers was the wrong one. The meeting had to be halted for a short time during which officers stated that they were using the map which is included in the printed neighbourhood plan.

The planning application had been submitted to be affordable housing-led which would qualify it as a rural exception site under the Cornwall Local Plan.

Planning officers, who had recommended the plans for approval, highlighted that the neighbourhood plan is supportive of rural exception sites subject to some conditions including that the applications comply with the local plan and that there was a recognised need for affordable homes.

It was argued that the application did meet these restrictions with the council’s affordable housing team supporting the plans saying there was a clear need for affordable homes with 48 households on the housing waiting list, another 11 on the Help to Buy register and a housing need survey found 15 more households that require affordable housing in the parish.

However Gwinear Gwithian Parish Council objected to the plans saying there was no justification for the development.

The applicants stated that they had support from Coastline Housing for the development with the housing association stating that it would be willing to take on the affordable homes.

Under the proposals the affordable rent properties would be built first, before any open market housing. A total of 70 per cent of the affordable homes would be for rent and 30 per cent for shared ownership.

Cornwall councillor for the area Lionel Pascoe said the development would bring more open market properties to the village when there were already enough. He said there was no justification for it.

Committee member Sue Nicholas said she could not support the plan as she wasn’t confident that it would deliver the level of affordable housing stated.

But Graham Coad said he supported the plan and it would help meet a need for affordable homes in the area.

A proposal to approve the application was voted through with seven votes in favour and six against.