CAMPAIGNERS are raging over a huge cliff fall next to a controversial luxury development site.
Dramatic pictures show thousands of tonnes of rock plummeting down a 200ft cliff face at a beauty spot at a beauty spot above Whipsiderry Beach where posh homes are being planned to be built on top of it.
Living Quarter Properties has planning permission for seven terraced houses above the beach – a site previously home to Paradise Hotel – in Newquay, Cornwall.
Campaigners have long battled the proposal and have even held successful protests at the site to halt work.
After the latest rock fall, they have now called on Cornwall Council to stop the development altogether – fearing someone might be killed.
People willing to risk anything for profit
Spokesperson
Earlier this month, the developer submitted plans to add rock bolts and meshing to the cliffs to help stabilise them.
The council are still considering this option.
In their latest application, the developer claimed 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 recent incident which happened on April 13 showed the scheme should be scrapped for good.
A spokesperson 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, claimed 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 lights.
“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.”
A report submitted to planners described the cliff face as “currently unstable” but said the previous landslip had improved its stability.
It read: “The cliff profile is no longer undercut, making remediation simpler, and there is exposure of good quality rock on the face.”
A previous cliff fall in November last year saw an estimated 20k tonnes tumble.
The site was used in March last year for a protest by locals who campaigned to have work stopped to fill in caves at the base of the cliffs, to enable the properties to be built on top of the 200-foot cliff.
Campaigners successfully saw developers get their licences suspended over fears their work could make the cliff too unstable.
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.
The Sun has approached Cornwall Council for comment.
