FBRA Planning and Weekly Update 29 August 2015

The below outlines another busy week for the association. The information shown here will also be on the website in the next short period.  Go to www.falmouthbay.co.uk your user name for registered (to the website) members is your email address. The password is that which you chose after initial login. Do not despair if you’ve forgotten it. Just quick the forgotten password but ton and follow the instructions.  Those who make this journey may find some (nay a lot) of the website is running a tad behind. We need help! See below at the relevant item.

1. Planning update for the week just past
2. Camper vans inhabited overnight but parked by the roadside in the bay area
3. Unsociable behaviour in the Gyllyngvase Car Park
4. Ships & Castles – inertia won’t save it. Act Now!
5. Neighbourhood Plan
6. Garden Fete
7. Silent Auction
8. Falmouth Civic Society
9. Other stuff including help

Breaking News: Westcountry Land are, it seems, planning to build in excess of 200 homes on the Menehay Farm Site off Bickland Water Road.

1. Planning

Just one for the bay area. See attached pdf.

2. Camper vans

Evidence continues to come in of the above types of vehicles parking alongside the highway especially along Cliff Road and now, it seems, Boscawen Road too.

At your Exec Committee meeting held last Wednesday the matter was debated and we are seeking further up to date guidance from the Police and the Ward Councillors.

The problem is not a new one and the rule of thumb is that those indulging in this kind of overnight parking whilst using the vehicle as a dormitory is not in itself illegal. It is what they do next that might be

(such as hanging out washing on the pathway; using drains for disposing of materials (use your imagination) and so on. We will continue to monitor but please help by reporting any special instances to secretary@fbra.co.uk.

Members might also complain/point out the problems to the ward councillors.  Who they?

Geoffrey Evans (also County Councillor for this ward, Arwenack)

Maureen Davies

Steve Gray

You can find out how to contact them by calling Falmouth Town Council on 01326 315559 during normal office hours.

3. Unsociable behaviour on Gyllyngvase car park

This is in largely the same category as the item above save that this is illegal and only evidence will enable this to be controlled. Please continue to report instance with either video or audio evidence as well as number plates and descriptions as they occur. Secretary@fbra.co.uk gets something done by collating this material and passing it to the police.  Again do inform your ward councillor one or all of them as above.

1. Ships & Castles:  (this is a good time to settle down with a cup of tea or coffee – the matter is serious and needs your attention)

Some of you will have seen the headline in the West Briton this week where it seems Cornwall Council are faced with a huge repair bill and are about to look at its available options.

Ships & Castles sits on Pendennis Headland and can be seen from miles around. Its design has never been to everyone’s liking but there is no getting away from the fact that it makes a major contribution to the health and fitness of many and provides swimming lessons for a large number of school children as well as providing recreational facilities. Cornwall Council are set to review the matter at a cabinet meeting on 2^nd September. Members of The Falmouth Civic Society and of FBRA met with Falmouth Town Councillors on Friday last and some of the information imparted to them is attached in pdf format.  There is a very real possibility that the Cabinet meeting will come down in favour of closing Ships & Castle with attendant financial costs (said to be less than temporary or full repairs). No mention in the material we have seen thus far suggests a capital programme or an increase in the maintenance budget or a combination of both to resolve this problem. The knock on effect of any closure plan will then put into play the land occupied by Ships & Castle and this is coincidental with the governments push to identify and utilise “brownfield sites” for much needed housing development. That the land on the headland is adjacent to a national monument may or may not have a bearing on this.  In any event residents and members of FBRA who are remotely concerned that the Headland might be added to the Brownfield Register need to act now and notify their concerns to their ward councillors and those actively involved in decision making at the meeting due on 2 September and who might be concerned to add sites to this register. Incidentally, Cornwall Council is acting in unnecessary haste in establishing this register (though no reason why they should not compile one as it is required) but to do so by 7^th September is not a requirement from Central Government.  So, please read the attached reports. Then:

1. Do nothing or
2. Write, now, by email and/or by post to your local councillor to request they
   
   1. Keep the facility of Ships & Castle open
   2. Ensure that the Headland does not appear on any brownfield register

At the very least Cornwall Cabinet should refer the matter back to the relevant officers to provide a more detailed survey looking at alternative options and a series of estimates from a wide range of potential suppliers. It cannot be the case that the power plant cannot be supplemented by temporary plant (there is plenty of land) nor that the Emergency Lighting facility could not see the existing lighting simply mothballed with a more modern installation made. The use of high level equipment may well not be necessary. The email addresses of some of  those councillors concerned are:

gfevans@cornwall.gov.uk   Cornwall Councillor for Arwenack and Town Councillor for Arwenack

ajewell@cornwall.gov.uk     Cornwall Councillor for Boslowick and Town Councillor for Arwenack

catherton@cornwall.gov.uk  Cornwall Councillor for Smithick and Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan

htoms@cornwall.gov.uk       Cornwall Councillor for Penwerris

jgerman@cornwall.gov.uk also the portfolio holder for Tourism, Culture, Museums and World Heritage site

jerowe@cornwall.gov.uk portfolio holder for property

ehannaford@cornwall.gov.uk portfolio holder for Planning

dsaunby@cornwall.gov.uk   Cornwall Councillor for Trescobeas

schamberlain1@cornwall.gov.uk  strategic planning committee

rnolan@cornwall.gov.uk Chairman, strategic planning committee

sarah.newton.mp@parliament.uk

                mark@falmouthtowncouncil.com (Falmouth Town Clerk:  note ask him to forward your comments to Maureen Davies and Steve Gray both Arwenack Ward town councillors).

Finally for the moment research requested by Sarah Newton  states, amongst other things:  'Local planning authorities should not identify as suitable for housing any land which is subject to severe physical, environmental or policy constraints’.

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The Headland is subject to severe policy constraints as it is bracketed by Scheduled Ancient Monuments, is in a Conservation area, is zoned for Recreation on Cornwall’s interactive map, is crossed by a public footpath. 

The National Planning Policy Framework states that land which is a Park or Recreation ground is EXCLUDED from Previously Developed Land (their term for Brownfield Land)

The attached Cornwall Council Map indicates everything in light blue is identified as Recreation Land.  The brown hatched area is Scheduled Ancient Monument as is the blue ’i’ to the left of the car park/ below the leisure centre.

(Thanks to Jay Gidman for his assistance)

1. Neighbourhood Plan

Responses to the community questionnaire have been collated and analysed. Four working groups have now been established to draw up proposals and policies in four categories; these being Environment and Open Spaces, Housing and Sustainability, Jobs and Workplaces and Spatial Strategy and Design Guidance. DY has been appointed Chair of the Environment and Open Spaces Group. A meeting will be held shortly to discuss and agree the brief for each WG and establish work programmes. It is anticipated that the NP will be drafted by Spring of next year when it will be submitted for approval to Cornwall Council.  If/when it passes this hurdle a referendum will be held; the earliest this is likely to take place is Autumn of next year.

2. Garden Fete and Fun Dog Show

All is pretty much in place but we still need bottles, cans, bric-a-brac and etc. Contact Bruce Keer if you can provide the latter (313686) or fete Chairman Elaine Leather (211341) for everything else.

3. Silent Auction  details will be sent by email to members in the next short period. Much support from our community and we hope you will find something worth bidding for when the list comes out.

4. Falmouth Civic Society of which FBRA is a member has issued its Summer/Autumn Newsletter. It is attached as a pdf.

1. Other stuff: I’m delighted to let you know that we have our first volunteer who will help with our Newsletter (which will come out at the end of October).  Just a couple more of you will make for a more comprehensive offering to members especially if you are able to upload material to our website and to help with research. In this latter connection any of you who have been traversing the footpath between Gyllyngvase and Swanpool on a regular basis over the last fifteen years are asked to contact the secretary secretary@fbra.co.uk or by phone 319110.