Letter sent today to all Cornwall Councillors: Dear Cornwall Councillor, Before next week's extraordinary full council meeting, to discuss the taxpayer's contribution towards a free 6,000-seater stadium, I would urge you to read some of the comments taken from this petition site (.PDF file attached). These comments come from some of the 5,000+ signatories from across the Duchy, and from every political family. The site can be found here, and contains more damning evidence of the stadium being a red herring to provide a get-out-of-jail-free card for Inox developers, involving the huge new housing estate at Chiverton. www.change.org/p/cornwall-council-phil-mason-council-s-chief-planning-officer-has-failed-cornwall-and-must-resign Consider also that the new Truro College swimming pool (moved from Hendra in Truro), which was of minimal standard, of poor quality and very basic, cost some £8m over 20 years ago, so whoever came up with the ludicrous figure of £14m for this new, modern, state-of-the-art, all-seater stadium and conference facility is pulling the wool over our eyes, and yours... If the cost of build is double this, you will be very lucky; it will probably be three times larger. What happens when it overruns? Overspends? Will Cornwall Council automatically bail out Truro College, Cornish Pirates, TCFC and Inox, without the blink of an eye?? Will Cormac accept responsibility for any cost overruns, or will John Betty, as the new strategic Director? On past evidence, I expect taxpayers won't get much say in coughing up the shortfall. How do your constituents feel about this? Given the huge increases in the cost of steel, the current inflation rate affecting labour costs, and the costs associated with running and maintaining such facilities, expect a long-running financial commitment to this poorly planned white elephant. And that's also before we look at the costs associated with running sewerage tanks and logistical costs of transporting this to Newham. Why do you think several retailers and private partners have pulled out of this scheme?!! As one commentator accurately pointed out last week, we have a stadium which the council already owns, at Carnbrea, and the cost of improving this fantastic facility would be a fraction, compared to the serious uncertainties surrounding this Langarth scheme; the fact that this saga has dragged on for so long, that goal posts have moved so often, and that so many financially-savvy partners have run a mile, should alert one and all to the perils of financing a scheme along a stretch of road - the Truro Western Corridor - which Chief of Planning (Phil Mason) told us only last month, was a mistake. Please do ask all the right questions whilst you still can, as many of us get the feeling that this is more of a personal vanity campaign by the likes of Inox and friends, than a properly-thought through and financially viable project. The authors of this letter are huge rugby fans themselves and have attended many Pirates games in the past. But this project seems to have little to do with rugby, and more to do with one developer and some planning officers needing council support for this potentially ludicrous scheme. Again, we urge extreme caution. Kind regards, Cornish Solidarity One councillor writes: "Dear All, Do we really know what is going on at Cornwall Council? I have just opened my Planning Resource magazine dated 9th February 2018; p16 - STRIKING A DEAL - How did a group of Oxfordshire local authorities secure £215m of government money for infrastructure in return for promising a joint statutory plan to meet housing targets, asks Stuart Watson. Oxfordshire is the first area of the country to agree a provisional housing deal with central government, in which Whitehall promises more infrastructure funding in return for a commitment to boost housing delivery. The deal involves the county’s six district councils producing a joint statutory spatial plan to support the delivery of 100,000 new homes. Commentators say it is notable that the first deal involves an area of high housing need that is not part of a combined authority. Headline “ The Oxfordshire deal is significant because it is not combined authority and it opens the door to other groups of Councils” Where will the next housing deals be struck?…. The Budget also revealed that housing deal negotiations are underway in areas including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Leeds and the WEST OF ENGLAND. However, few details have yet been made public of how those deals are progressing. West of England mayor Tim Bowles confirmed his region is “working towards an ambitious housing deal with government” without divulging any further particulars.” JUST ANOTHER WORRY - HOW DO WE NOT KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON?" Whilst one concerned resident in St. Ives is calling for help: "https://www.facebook.com/StIvesrachaelevine/ Just in case you haven’t seen this weeks Times & Echo, our local ward councillor has allowed the Una application, to be decided by the planning department, on a delegated powers issue. The case officer has already recommended the application be approved...This is despite the history of the site, the dozens of objectors, hundreds who have objected over the last couple of years and she has also ignored Town Council's request to her for her to send it to committee. To make matters worse a case officer, has clearly indicated, that if it went to the committee, it would still have been the same outcome. This is clearly unacceptable, that an employee of the Council has clearly indicated how 15 elected members of the Council would vote, prior to them deliberating the application. We are currently encouraging local residents who are frustrated, angry and realise the impact this will have and the precedent it will set, to email the Times & Echo a short letter of objection. If you agree with us, please email this to times@stivesnews.co.uk and copy us in at info@raiid.com Toni’s deadline for letters this week is tomorrow, Tuesday lunchtime. Thanks." (Unfortunately, too late for us to write in!) Finally, why are residents working hard across many Cornish towns, as Community Land Trusts (CLT), to effectively do the council's job for them, ie. provide affordable and sustainable housing for its local communities, workers and families?? Join us for a FREE HALF DAY SEMINAR 'Communities can do it for themselves' Hosted by Cornwall Community Land Trust. Come and find out how you can deliver quality housing in your area. National and local planning, financial and legal experts will offer practical advice on: Acquiring land Securing funding Ensuring homes stay in the hands of local people forever Truro City Hall Municipal Buildings, Boscawen Street, Truro, TR1 2NE Friday 2 March 2018 9.30am - 1.00pm