Dramatic new footage shows a huge cliff fall of over 2,000 tonnes of rock which plummeted to the ground next to a controversial luxury development last month. The massive tumble took place at Whipsiderry Beach, near Newquay, Cornwall, landing on the existing pile of scree from previous landslides.
The iconic beauty spot in the South West has been subject to multiple protests against the construction of new homes on top of it. The proposed development by Living Quarter Properties (Porth) has faced objections from campaigners who believe its planning permission should be revoked due to the cliff’s instability. The local group, Save Whipsiderry Cliffs – created to protest against the planned development of cliff-top houses – wrote on social media that “the development site has shrunk and will continue to get smaller”.
They are urging Cornwall Council to withdraw the application altogether, demanding that homes should never be built on such an unsafe site.
Campaigners online say the footage “clearly shows more cracks in the cliff face and on the tarmac of the site, so this is likely to fall soon! Be aware!”
They added: “This cracked area of tarmac forms the gardens of the planned holiday homes, would you sunbathe and plant roses there?”
Despite the claims of “stabilisation works” on the cliffs, the coastline has been subject to serious erosion since the beginning of the development in 2023. As a result, the project has been put on hold.
The original planning application, approved in 2007, saw the proposal of seven villas on the site of a former hotel in Newquay. Conditions for approval included the stabilisation of the cliffs, with Cornwall Council twice refusing the developers attempts to drop this condition after the cliff started crumbling.
Living Quarter Properties launched an appeal claiming that both the council and furious campaigners have “misunderstood” their application.
Just last year, a cliff next to the site saw thousands of rocks fall to the ground. In November 2023, the same event happened where an estimated 20,000 tonnes plummeted onto the shore.
Contractors had performed procedures to stop this such as steel rods insertions and concreting over part of the cliff face above. Campaign groups also demonstrated against this, labelling the measures as invasive to the natural environment.
Living Quarter Properties has been approached for comment.
