Penzance Harbour Development - a balanced view.

[Halfhidden]

The Cornishman has featured this song on their website [FONT=&quot]The Cornishman
Alarmingly though some rude insulting comments have been posted up about the people in Penzance... surprisingly these are from residents in Truro, IoS and so on. Some so strong that the Cornishman has removed them.
You are welcome to leave a comment on their site if you think it might help.
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[treeve]

Those that have made ignorant adverse comments are beyond any help, they have no appreciation for Cornwall or what it has, let alone the wider and long term effects of any such scheme. As far as musical talent is concerned, I regret that they are already also beyond help, as what is left of the thinking section of their brains has been washed free of any form of appreciation of true talent by the noises that are grunted by present day 'musicians'. I believe that people with real knowledge and understanding will ignore those comments of an adverse nature ... the price of everything and the value of nothing.

 

[Bilge Rat]

Strategic Planning Committee

The next few weeks are going to be a busy time for the campaign with meetings taking place in December that may decide the fate of Battery Rocks beach and our historic harbour and seafront. Your help is needed.

Strategic Planning Committee Public Pre-Meeting, Acorn Theatre, Penzance
Thursday, December 10th from 1pm to 4pm

This is organised by Cornwall Council, is open to the public, and is designed to allow anyone who wishes to address Members of the Strategic Planning Committee to do so before they meet formally on December 14th.

Strategic Planning Committee Meeting, Guildhall, Penzance
Monday, December 14th, 2pm start

This is the official Committee meeting that will consider the planning applications and where a decision will be made about whether or not to grant Listed Building Consent and allow the development on Battery Rocks beach. The capacity of the Guildhall public gallery is 60 and the constitution of the committee restricts the number of speakers objecting to the plans to just two.

Cornwall Council Cabinet Meeting, County Hall, Truro
Wednesday, December 16th, 10am start

This is a meeting of the ten-member Cabinet that will decide whether to proceed with Option A (building on Battery Rocks beach) or go for alternatives (Option C). The Cabinet contains no councillors from Penzance or indeed from the old Penwith District Council area. A decision at this meeting will be taken regardless of the outcome of the Strategic Planning Committee on the 14th.

Please forward this to friends, family and anyone you think might want to help.

 

[Halfhidden]

[FONT=&quot]Dear Friends,

The first of the three meetings I mentioned in my last e-mail is this Thursday 10th at the Acorn Theatre starting at 1:00pm. Since last writing we have learned that the leader of Cornwall Council continues to doubt the strength of feeling in Penzance, and officers from the planning department are recommending that the applications for building on Battery Rocks beach are approved (see the attached report).

This makes it even more important that as many people as possible turn out for the meeting on Thursday. The Chairman of the planning committee has said that he wants the members of the planning committee to have the chance to "hear the roar of Penzance" so please do not disappoint him: do everything you can to attend and if possible turn up early (from 12:00) to protest outside before councillors arrive.

The attached officer's report to the planning committee also contains the first signs of the outcome of the Council's further consideration of Option C and I suppose you will not be surprised to discover that they are claiming Option C is not viable. This is complete and utter rubbish and we will be challenging the conclusions of the report, but in the meantime please show your continued opposition to Option A by attending Thursday's meeting.

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[tabtab13]

I'm getting the impression that this is already a 'done deal' - or am I overlooking something? I haven't been inside the Acorn for years, but from memory, it's not that big is it? Strange venue choice as well, perhaps?

And capacity of the Guildhall public gallery is only 60?

And the first meeting is at 1.00pm and the second at 2.00pm - when a lot of us are at work so couldn't go?

Talk about the Council making it difficult to ensure they get their own way and at the same time 'trying to appear empathetic to the wants of the people' ....

 

[treeve]

CO, k1, St up, Dec, K2tog, Psso and BO

I have been saying for so long now I would not trust that bunch at all ... this is what is known as a stitch up, cheat, rob, con, do, skin, stiff, sting, rip off, fleece, swindle, rook, diddle, bilk, pull a fast one. This is precisely what Shakespeare writted his plays about. Distortion and Subterfuge. The Waiving of Rights and of Authority. Well, this is a Democracy, and most of them are Voted in, so they can be voted out again - it is not the first time in British Politics that the Negative Vote has been used. To ignore English Heritage and to submit that enthusiasm and support for the beach and the harbour wall preservation is dwindling either means that they are deaf and blind, OR that there is something going on. 'The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!'

 

[Halfhidden]

Just returned from a packed meeting at the Acorn Theatre about pre planning approval for Route Partnership. To say that the atmosphere was electric is an understatement. You could feel the frustration oozing from the audience. A nervous Cornwall Council employee stood before the crowd and presented a case for the destruction of Battery Rocks. He claimed that the decision was taken on financial terms.
Later others had a chance to put their case across to the planning committee and this was going quite well until the chair decided to seriously limit some speakers. One gentleman was delivering a speech on the advantages of option "C" when he was told that he would have t stop. I think it's fair to say that the chair lost control of the audience momentarily as the angry crowd erupted. One person stood up and shouted for everyone who booked a slot to ask a question to throw away their question ticket (tickets were issued to those who pre registered for a question... no ticket... no question), then someone else shouted give them to the guy who was speaking and told to stop. At that point all the tickets were surrendered to the gentleman so that he could continue his speech using everyone else's tickets. Clearly unhappy with this the chair wanted to move on to the next person, but with the audience hissing and booing, stamping their feet in protest he had to call order. The chair threatened to walk out of the public meeting if order wasn't restored. he whent on to explain that if it wasn't for him then the meeting would never have taken place in the first place.
Shortly after order was restored and the speakers continued.
I had to leave because of other commitments.
The crowd was packed with option "C" supporters who were angry and frustrated at not being listened to.
Evidence was shown by the civic society showing objections to plan "A" from various government agencies, English Heritage and so on... all have been completely ignored by Cornwall council.
Personally I can see this escalating to a seriously ugly debate with demonstartion and marches very, very soon.

 

[treeve]

He claimed that the decision was taken on financial terms.

Quite . Done Deal?.. and whose finances?

 

[treeve]

Interesting thought, CC/RP dump tons of concrete on our heritage
what would happen if Penzance returned the favour?
What's the mix? 1:2:4 .... ::6:

 

[treeve]

On another Note ....

I still do not understand another issue here ...
Since 1926, The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company has been owned by and run by the Islanders.
The current Scillonian III is owned by the IoSSCo.
They have defeated the issue over the Dry Dock.
They can run the Gry Maritha and Scillonian III by virtue of proper maintenance.
Un-serviced the Scillonian is 'validated' until 2014.
Since the IoSSCo is financially involved, they were barred by the County and others from being included in the RP.
The 'new ship' will be under separate ownership and managerial company.
That company is being selected and is allegedly tendered and settled.
The islands are not able to take more visitors, for many reasons.
It isd stated as a part of the apparent policy that it is not proposed to increase traffic of vehicular or of pedestrian.
Just how is this going to work? Financially, companywise? Will the islanders be FORCED to back the 'new company' rather than back the IoSSCo?
Does this not come into stealing trade? Or is the old chestnut of competitive trading to be lobbed into the firegrate?
I can see total chaos arising at the desecrated quayside. How many? On what vessel? Which ship and the chaotic timetables. With passengers stuffed into a waiting room they would rather not be for over an hour.
What is going on here? The effects at St Mary's harbour will be devastating, improvements or not. I also have grave reservations as to the naming, as it has an implication of the support of the Isles of Scilly in its entirety.
Has HRH been informed yet, and what is HRH's opinion? It all flies in the face of everything he has written and spoken of in the past.
I can see an enormous amount of damage arising out of this, which will be irrecoverable ground, in more ways than one.
We have heard from neither the IoSSCo or His Royal Highness, to mymind the biggest Players in this. I rate those self-opinionated minions of the RP very low on the general human stakes.

As the Sufi say .. a donkey loaded with a pile of books is still a donkey.

 

[Halfhidden]

HRH is backing the scheme because the Duchy of Cornwall is a member of Route Partnership. He (Prince Charles) has ignored all letter to date including those from the press.

 

[treeve]

I have it from a VERY reliable source that all communication to the RP to the Duchy and to His Royal Person on this subject is being witheld from His Eyes. The silence is not of His Royal Doing. This is one reason why I have believed all along this is a 'Done Deal'.

 

[Halfhidden]

Well, he'll have to sit up and take note soon as I have started a national press campaign... sit back, relax and lets see what happens

 

[treeve]

Well, while you are at it, get an official line out of IoSSCo ...
unless they have an Ace they would rather not declare in this hand.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Pre Planning Meeting

It was a very interesting meeting indeed. One point that was brought up is the proposed use of the triangle area by the bathing pool/battery rocks for parking up to two coaches and cars, it was mentioned that this did not feature on any plans submitted so far.

I recorded the meeting up until 3.20pm when I had to leave. I will burn the .wav files to DVD for HH to put up on the site for anyone who missed the meeting.

Charlie Cartwright's presentation was a highlight, has the Cloud 10 vessel been discussed here yet?

 

[sparky]

That would be good as I couldn't make it to the meeting even though I had planned to be there, an emergency arose and I had to be eleswhere!

although this was a public meeting the TV crew that attended was not allowed to film, so they said on the news last night, but they did manage to interview a few of the members who object to option A.

"One point that was brought up is the proposed use of the triangle area by the bathing pool/battery rocks for parking up to two coaches and cars, it was mentioned that this did not feature on any plans submitted so far."

I was shocked to hear this when HH & Pokerboy came home, since when was this proposed?? and how are they getting away with adding new admissions to the plans? I thought that once plans were submitted and "judged" if you like? that, you would have to wait to see if accepted/objected or not? either way you had to stick to those submitted plans, so how on earth are they allowed to change/add?? it doesn't make sense at all......

 

[treeve]

It strikes me that a number of niceties are being ignored here, and it is setting a precedent for future Planning Applications by other people to ignore procedures completely; we will return to the situation that existed in the 1960s and 1970s where many building works were commenced with no Planning Permission at all.
Or Building Regulation Permission either..... ::6:
All of this is underlining just what we are dealing with. Fix.

 

[Halfhidden]

@rrrrrrichie, drop it around and I'll upload it straight away. Charlie Cartwrigh put together a very strong case indeed... and no it hasn't been debated here or anywhere else that I know of.
Funny that Cornwall Council have taken 4 years to draw up a ludicrous, unworkable plan costing £4 million local tax payers money, whilst in complete contrast Charlie Cartwrigh sits at his kitchen table, applies some thought, a little knowledge and a realistic, less destructive and more economic plan was created.

 

[treeve]

Not at all surprised, I repeat what the Sufi say ...
a donkey with a pile of books is still a donkey ...
Let's hear Charlie Cartwright's scheme;
mind you, they have already done the deal and there is none so deaf as they that won't listen

 

[Bilge Rat]

HRH and the Duchy

In response to my letters to HRH I have this week received a reply from RFT Halliday Duchy Land Steward saying...
"...It is not on Duchy land representations should be made to Cornwall Council.
I appreciate local feelings are divided. This, in our view, reinforces decisions to be made through local planning process in spite of the Duchy's interest in the general IoS ferry project."