Phil Mason and his planning department have potentially authorised thousands of new homes without proper due diligence of several areas’ mining histories and the existence of hundreds of old mining works, creating the lethal risk of sink holes appearing near or in people’s homes, in the near future.
www.flickr.com/photos/ferrari308qv/15029186229
www.cornishmineimages.co.uk/south-crofty-mine-level-plans/
We’re aware of hundreds or more homes having being built by Wain Homes, Linden Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon Homes and Kier Homes on sites which may have potentially lethal mine shafts and workings below them, from Saint Austell to Saint Ives, and in particular in the Re’Druth, Pool, Camborne and Troon corridor….
Recent SM discussion on this issue:
“When going through Rosudgeon, you might have seen some uncompleted recent builds with a sign outside saying something along the lines of "Danger, open mineshaft, unstable ground". Obviously, planning permission by the council was given for the builds. I was interested whether or not the council actually checked to see if there was a mineshaft on the site and it's quite obvious they didn't! Looking on an old map, it is clearly marked with a disused shaft called Walters Shaft, yet Cornwall Council still gave them permission to build here. It's absolutely ridiculous and more to the point, how many homes have been built on old and unstable mineshafts and how many people are in danger?”
“Wainhomes have built over mine shafts in Par. They were told about them and still they got planning permission!”
“I always look at those two halfbuilt homes. Thing Is, it isn't down to the council to check for mining.”
“It is down the Council to insist on a mining survey to go with the application. See below.”
“They can insist but what happens when the builder just cracks on without it...”
“The application won't be processed without it. If the builder then cracks on, enforcement applies and he can be made to tear down everything.”
“I was thinking the same thing the other day. I was looking at an 1850 map of Porthreptor, and my house is basically on top of Wheal Providence.”
“I used to get demands for a mining survey to go with my planning applications in Newbridge....irrespective of the fact that the nearest underground working is nearly 2 miles away!”
“Houses behind Unity Road in Porthleven, St. Peters way etc are built on the shafts of Wheal Unity. As children we were never allowed to play there because it was so dangerous. Quite a few there have had shafts go under them or in the gardens.”
“Well it will be interesting to see what happens when people try to get mortgages on them . . . Not to mention insurance.”
“The insurance will probably be the same as flooding. To feed the greed of the developers everyone pays a bit extra to cover the houses built on flood plains. Soon it will be paying a bit extra for those built on mine workings, cliffs etc…”
“Interesting. I have seen the mine shafts and adits in Treloyhan Manor. Bang smack in the middle of several plots.”
“....and how much money has the council cost the owners???”
“In Boilerworks Road in Camborne the council capped the shafts of the West Wheal Seton mine using Derelict Land Grants to turn the land into a public open space area. I can't remember it ever being a public open space, if it was it'd be interesting to know how developers came into its ownership as they're now developing the area. The kids play area which has been there for years is also fenced off, I imagine because of mine shafts, so I wonder why the council only capped the shafts which are now being developed.”
“Don't you need a mining survey before building? We had to a few years ago, also a mining trench survey”
“I thought in order to get a mortgage, you had to have a mining survey done?”
(The photo shows a sinkhole appearing in one homeowner's garden in St. Ives)
Towns & villages # of Supporters
Penzance-Newlyn-Helston-St Ives-Hayle 1,009
Redruth-Pool-Camborne 972
Truro-Threemilestone-Roseland-Chacewater 822
Bodmin-Liskeard-Wadebridge-Launceston-Bude-Saltash 777
St Austell-Clay Country-Lostwithiel-Fowey-Par 669
Newquay-Quintrell Downs-Perranporth-St Agnes 656
Falmouth-Penryn-Mawnan-Mylor 486
CORNWALL 5,392
Cornish expats / Others: 2,328
(of which)
Plymouth 142
Exeter/Other Devon 170
London 107
Cardiff/Wales 100
Edinburgh/Glasgow/Scotland 76
USA/Canada 70
Australia/NZ 57
France/Spain/Italy 56
Total (31-01-2019) 7,720