LOCALS DEMAND WORK ON CLIFFSIDE DEVELOPMENT ENDS AFTER THREE ROCKFALLS
- Thousands of tonnes of rocks have fallen from Whipsiderry Cliffs in Newquay
- Local residents have had a long-running battle against property developers
Families living near a multi-million pound clifftop building site that has collapsed three times in five months say they hope the latest rockfall will put an end to the planned work.
Locals near Whipsiderry Cliffs in Newquay, Cornwall, have fought a long-running battle with developer Living Quarter Properties which has planning permission to build seven £1m homes at the beauty spot.
Dramatic footage shows thousands of tonnes of rock plummeting down the 200ft cliff next to the luxury development site, where locals fear any houses will be snapped up as second homes.
It comes after there were also major cliff falls at the site in November and December. Steps down to the beach have been blocked since the first fall and the area is now only accessible at low tide from a neighbouring beach.
Prince William and Love Island star Lucie Donlan previously joined angry Newquay residents in fighting plans to concrete up the wild cliff face overlooking Whipsiderry beach on the coastal walk.
After the latest rock fall local residents have now called on Cornwall Council to stop the development altogether, claiming it is 'an absolute miracle' how no one has died.
Local resident Leah Steward, 48, who lives 100m from the cliffs said: 'I have always been against cliff works here. It's bonkers.
'They have been told for years by experts that it's not safe to proceed but they have carried on.
'Who is going to insure a house on the cliff edge that keeps collapsing, it's hopeless. Where will the rockfalls stop, back at the road?
'I hope this last rockfall puts a final nail in it. The developers say it's nothing to do with the work they are doing but how can that be the case.
'My fear is we have lost that beach now, there is no safe way down there any more.'
Earlier this month, Living Quarter Properties submitted plans to add rock bolts and meshing to the cliffs to help stabilise them, which is still being considered by the council.
They claimed in the latest application the cliff was 'more stable' than before and there was now 'exposure of good quality rock on its face'.
However, the Save Whipsiderry Cliffs campaign said the latest incident, which happened on April 13, should mean the scheme was now scrapped for good.
The land at the centre of the controversy was bought by the developers for a reported £300,000 in 2007.
A report submitted to planners for the project described the cliff face as 'currently unstable' but said the previous landslip had improved its stability.
The report read: 'The cliff profile is no longer undercut, making remediation simpler, and there is exposure of good quality rock on the face.'
It suggests that rock bolting and meshing with a regular maintenance and renewal regime would provide sufficient stabilisation to reduce erosion to an acceptable level to provide protection to the proposed development for at least 125 years.
The hard work of campaigners such as Love Island star Lucie Donlan resulted in the Duchy of Cornwall suspending Living Quarter Properties' licence to backfill caves with concrete in March 2023.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) had granted a licence for cliff reinforcement work, while the Duchy granted access to the beach.
This was revoked after campaigners raised concerns over the timing of the works due to the annual nesting season of fulmars, a type of seabird.
Local Peter Scobie, 54, told MailOnline this week: 'There is an awful lot of anger following this latest rockfall. We used to use this beach several times a week and almost every day in summer but now we can't access it.
'With the steps closed there is a risk of people walking around at low tide but then getting trapped down there by the tide and the helicopter being called to rescue them.
'This entire situation only happened when they started messing around with the cliffs. They have stopped the drilling but the rock falls don't seem to be stopping.
'This beach is a real jewel in Newquay's crown but it has been taken away from local people for somebody else's selfish gain.'
Retiree Gill Barber, 66, whose home overlooks the cliffs, added: 'We are concerned about the building there but mostly surprised anybody wants to build there. They originally wanted to build seven houses on there but now they'd be lucky to get two.
'It's a shame we have lost such a beautiful beach. There is a lot of anger locally but people aren't listening.'
Her husband Robin Barber added: 'I think it's unbelievable they keep trying to go ahead with it, I think they need to call it a day.
'If the road collapses it's going to be a massive inconvenience as that is the main bus route into Newquay. It's very annoying.'
A spokesperson for save Whipsiderry Cliffs said: 'Surprise! There's been another collapse at Whipsiderry. Just two weeks after the developer submitted a report saying the cliff was 'far more stable' than previously thought, the cliff collapses.
'Madness. People willing to risk anything for profit.'
Andrew Robey, a member of the campaign, said up to 10,000 tonnes collapsed in the latest fall.
He added: 'In a report recently it said that the cliff was more stable now than it was before which is obviously not true as we have just seen. It is now in Cornwall Council's hands.
'We are still shocked the development was given the green light. Our own geotechnical analysis of the cliff concluded it is in a highly fragile state. To try and stabilise it with a few rock bolts and netting is not sufficient and working on that cliff raises safety issues.
'How no-one has died is an absolute miracle. What we want is for Cornwall Council to stop the plans.'
Save Whipsiderry Cliffs group said contractors had been excavating sea caves, with heavy machinery, drilling into rock, inserting steel rods and filling the caves with concrete, including part of the cliff face above.
Due to the damage caused by the fall, the steps and surrounding footpath were shut for safety reasons to allow specialist engineers to carry out investigations on site.
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