Overall, resident comments show that the draft Plan is widely seen as a serious and well thought through attempt to protect the Parish from harmful change, while still making provision for local needs. 

A number of recurring issues run across several themes, particularly: 

• concern about flooding, sewage and drainage capacity, 

• the need for genuinely affordable homes for local people, 

• concern over second homes, holiday use and very large replacement dwellings, 

• strong support for protecting landscape, local character and biodiversity, 

• concern that community facilities are interdependent and need to be retained together, 

• concern that infrastructure and services are already under pressure.

Across all themes, there was a high level of support for the draft Plan. Agreement was particularly strong for the Vision and Objectives, Flooding, Housing, Economy and Employment, and Heritage and Design themes, each attracting around 92 to 95 percent agreement.

Residents were strongly supportive of the overall Vision and Objectives. Many comments said the draft Plan strikes the right balance between protecting the Parish’s character and meeting local needs. It was seen as reflecting community concerns and providing a sensible framework for the future.

The Vision and Objectives are very strongly supported. The main issues raised are not objections to the direction of the Plan, but requests for greater clarity, stronger treatment of infrastructure pressures, and refinement of some place-specific points.

Flooding, Coastal Erosion and Climate Change  is one of the strongest areas of support in the survey. Residents clearly regard flooding, sewage overload, drainage failure and coastal change as major live issues, especially in Mawgan Porth, but also with wider implications for the Parish. Comments refer to recent flooding events, sewage failures near the village hall and car park, floodplain concerns, and the cumulative consequences of past development not being matched by infrastructure investment.

Residents view this as an essential theme of the Plan. Support is very high, and comments generally press for the policies to be as robust and practical as possible, especially in relation to sewerage, drainage, water quality and natural flood management.

Housing policies received very strong support. The clearest message is that residents want housing that meets local need, especially genuinely affordable housing, while resisting forms of development seen as damaging to community balance and local character.

Residents are strongly supportive of the housing theme, provided it remains firmly focused on local need, affordability, proportionate scale, and protection against overdevelopment and infrastructure overload.

The Economy and Employment theme shows strong support for protecting employment land and supporting local businesses, especially where this can strengthen the year-round economy. Residents generally favour a small scale and sensitive approach to employment growth, consistent with the Parish’s rural character and road constraints.

Some comments linked employment directly to housing, noting that the local economy depends on people being able to live locally. Others suggested local employers should be encouraged to prioritise parish residents, or that better information should be shared on reliable mobile and broadband providers.

The Heritage, Cornish Distinctiveness and Design theme attracted very strong support. Residents place high importance on protecting the historic character of the Parish, conserving Cornish hedges and green spaces, and ensuring that new development is designed to fit its setting.

This is one of the most strongly supported parts of the Plan. Residents want robust and effective design policies that can prevent further erosion of local distinctiveness, especially in Trenance and Mawgan Porth.

Support is still strong for the Community Facilities and Infrastructure theme, but this theme generated more qualification and uncertainty than the others. Residents clearly value local facilities, but there was more debate about how realistic it is to safeguard them, how public transport can be improved, and the draft policy approach to the future of the school.

Residents support the protection of facilities and amenities, but this theme needs careful consideration around the school, transport, healthcare access, and the need to explain how facility policies are expected to work in practice.

Responses for the Natural Environment and Landscape theme showed residents are strongly supportive of the landscape and natural environment policies. Many comments suggest that this lies at the heart of why people value living in the Parish, and why visitors are drawn to it. There is strong support for protecting landscape quality, biodiversity, dark skies, tranquillity, trees, hedges, and the coastal environment.

Residents strongly back this theme. Most comments support the direction of policy, with objections focused mainly on specific site designations and mapping accuracy rather than the principle of environmental protection.

Responses to the final open question largely reinforced the main themes already raised. Many residents thanked the Parish Council and those involved for the work undertaken, and expressed support for the Plan as a necessary way for the community to influence future development.

The full report is available below, with all the individual responses received – these have been anonymised by allocating a number to each respondent.