The National Trust has submitted a planning application to Cornwall Council to redevelop the Lanhydrock car park, introducing a café and cycle hire outlet along with approximately 10km of cycle trails in neighbouring woodlands. The proposal will include important improvements to the site’s parking and traffic management and a plan to restore the original 18th century carriage drive to Lanhydrock house.

It has long been the ambition of the Trust to improve parking facilities and provide a café facility outside of Lanhydrock’s pay-zone. If planning consent is approved visitors to Lanhydrock will have essential additional parking (including a new coach park), a café outside of the pay-zone and a cycle hire facility. The play area and plant sales area will be re-located near to these new facilities.

The introduction of the cycling hub at Lanhydrock will provide additional facilities for visitors, give families a more varied day out, and provide a facility that local groups and schools can benefit from throughout the year. The cycle trails are aimed at families and people who are novices to woodland cycling, and will help to encourage more people to enjoy the wider countryside at Lanhydrock. The cycle trails will be sympathetic to natural and archaeological features and have been designed to minimise impact on other woodland users.

The National Trust has regularly talked to local tenants, the wider community and interested parties during development of the proposals and has held a number of public consultation and information events. As a result of this consultation aspects of the plans have been amended or refined. Rebecca Brookes-Sullivan, General Manager at Lanhydrock explains “A key element that developed from the consultation is the proposal to re-instate the original 18th century Georgian carriage drive as the primary access to Lanhydrock. This will enhance the sense of arrival for visitors and improve the flow of cars into and leaving the site. We know that during peak periods the current car park does not always provide enough space and can cause congestion to the surrounding local road network. The proposals will help to ease these congestion problems, which we are sure will be welcome news to local people.”

Rebecca Brookes-Sullivan continues “We are confident that our proposals will improve the visitor experience to one of the National Trust’s most popular visitor sites in the country, and provide local people with a year-round recreational facility.” She says “We will enhance and protect the spirit of the place for visitors to the house and gardens, whilst increasing the number and variety of people getting pleasure from the wider estate”.

The development at Lanhydrock is part of the Trust’s ‘Getting Outdoors and Closer to Nature’ programme – enabling the Trust to improve and diversify people’s access and enjoyment of its land through more opportunities for walking, cycling, kayaking, camping and other recreational activities.

Mark Harold, the Trust’s South West Regional Director said “The Trust is committed to improving our range of facilities and improving access at Lanhydrock, one of our flagship properties in the South West. This project is an absolute priority for the region; we believe it will offer significant local public benefit and the introduction of off road cycle trails will play a key part in our aim to get visitors outdoors and closer to nature.”

The National Trust will be holding a public open event that anyone is welcome to attend to better understand the proposals. This event will take place on Thursday 6th September, 3pm – 6pm, in the Lanhydrock house learning room (next door to the shop). All documents will be available for viewing at the event and members of the project team will be available to answer questions. The planning documents are expected to be validated and made available for viewing on the Cornwall Council Online Planning Register 10-12 working days from submission, after which there is a 21 day period for comments to be submitted to Cornwall Council. The National Trust are holding their public event approximately one week after the planning application has been validated, ensuring that people have time to view the plans and ask the project team questions before submitting their comments to Cornwall Council. From validation it will take approximately 13 weeks for a planning decision to be made.

The Lanhydrock Cycle Hub now has its own Facebook page where you’ll find all the latest information on the proposed project. The Planning Application Reference number will be posted here as soon as available, along with details of how to submit your comments to Cornwall Council and the deadline.

You can also view some Questions & Answers [Word doc 138KB] to help understand the rationale behind the proposals.