The creation of West Carclaze Garden Village by Eco-Bos Development Ltd will create a vibrant new community of 1,500 homes. Cornwall Council and Homes England support the project. The timescale for building the Garden Village is around 15 years.
The Eco-Bos website describes the developer’s vision for the project. More information is also included in the case study showcasing the development.
Key features of the new community will be:
- Up to 1,500 new homes - including affordable homes and custom/ self-build provisions.
- Sky Primary School – constructed by the Department for Education. Part of the Free Schools programme.
- Community facilities - supporting a sustainable development, encouraging healthy living and social integration. The first phase of the development will include the village centre and a Community Hub. A cafe, shops, open areas for children to play and spaces for social interaction will feature.
- Employment provisions – including live/ work units. The existing Enterprise Space for Advanced Manufacturing (ESAM) opened in 2018. A second phase of employment development at Carluddon Technology Park will come forward in the future.
- Trails and paths - there will be some 16km walking and biking trails with picnic areas and viewpoints. These will link with the existing clay trails. New routes across the site will enable public access to areas currently inaccessible. Some of the network will support active recreation, horse riding, and dog walking.
- Blue and Green Spine - open spaces, lakes and paths connecting the site from east to west. These will encourage walking and cycling within the site. Supported by a habitat network for plants and animals.
- The Sports Park - a large recreational space for play, exercise, relaxing and exploring.
- The Heritage Park - located next to the Sky Tip, this will be a space where residents and visitors can meet, socialise and play. It will highlight the mining heritage of the Clay District and site.
- Community food growing - such as vegetable patches in gardens, community allotments and orchards.
- Renewable energy generation - there are two solar farms on the site.
The outline planning permission granted in September 2018 (PA14/12186) included parameter plans and a Design Code. These can be downloaded from the Online Planning Portal. Reserved Matters applications will define the detail. The first phase of the development is under construction. First occupation is expected later in 2021.
A grant from the Marginal Viability Housing Infrastructure Fund (£3.4M) is used to improve Carbis Road and fund water connections. This will enable safe and easy access to the first phase of the development for a range of transport modes.
Cornwall Council secured funding from the Department of Communities and Local Government and the European Convergence Programme (ERDF) to deliver early infrastructure enabling the new community at West Carclaze.