Whipsiderry cliffs: Fears of 'imminent' rock fall near Cornwall development site

• Watch Kathy Wardle's report

Campaigners fighting a housing development on cliffs at Porth near Newquay say they fear another landslip is imminent.

It follows a major cliff fall which saw tonnes of rock break away and fall onto the beach at Whipsiderry on Wednesday 29 November.

A development of seven luxury homes called 'The View' has planning permission to be built on top of the cliff, directly above the site of the cliff fall.

The properties are described as three and four-bedroom houses with "spacious roof terraces, balconies, and private terraces".

Campaigners who are against the development have called for it to be stopped following the cliff fall.

Andrew Robey from Save Whipsiderry Cliffs said: "The thought of anyone building on that cliff now seems ridiculous.

"We’ve had hundreds of people protesting and there’s a whole movement behind this, and nobody listed to us.

"Now we’ve ended up with a rock failure that will change the face of the north Cornish coast forever and it’s very sad."

In September and later in November 2023, the Marine Management Organisation suspended a license for the developers to carry out cliff stabilisation work, which would involve filling the sea caves with mass concrete.

It said the suspension was in light of new geotechnical information.

The official suspension notice says the MMO needs to consider "whether the activities authorised by the licence (including the existing conditions) are geo-technically sound, in particular having regard to the impacts on human health, the environment and/or legitimate users of the sea".

It says that needs to be carried out before any work proceeds.

Porth resident Leah Steward says she is concerned something may still be built on the site in the future.

She told ITV News: "I guess nature will run its course and remove what's fallen, but I can't believe that anything can happen now, it's a dangerous site to develop. It's been unstabilised even further, and there's another huge section that's going to fall imminently."

Cornwall Council has issued a warning on X (formerly Twitter) which says: "Following the recent cliff fall at Whipsiderry beach we’ve carried out a specialist survey which indicates that there is a risk of further falls in the area.

"The steps remain closed while we monitor the situation. Please stay away from the area."

ITV News has contacted developer Living Quarter Properties for comment.