From the Cornish Solidarity Correspondent for Newlyn East and Crantock. At the last Newlyn East Parish Council meeting, held on 11th June, the NDP ( Newlyn Development plan) was discussed in a closed meeting involving Ocean Housing, local landowner Trewithen Estates, agent James Humphries, with Councillor Graham Bone in the chair, along with Councillor Phil Harris, Councillor Howard Farmer and interestingly, Phil Mason, the head of planning at Cornwall Council, who apparently lives in Newlyn East. Kathryn Reece, the Parish Council clerk was paid to take notes. It was suggested that this should be a meeting open to the public, as Cornwall Councillor Adrian Harvey suggested that it would be illegal if it could be perceived that the parish council members were colluding with a landowner and developer, and it would be detrimental to tenant farmers who farm some of the land concerned, whom he suggested should surely have a say in their own fate! Councillor Bone was alleged to be talking about having a contract with the developers, which could also be illegal due to predetermination. Cornwall Councillor Harvey moved that the meeting be open to the public, but this was defeated. Subsequently Councillor Harvey was excluded. The meeting was held on the Thursday after a parish meeting, with no members of public present. Since then, there have been no minutes or information given about the (questionably illegal?) meeting. One can only assume what went on between the parties involved. Is this a matter that should be taken up with the Cornwall Council Standards Officer? Trewithen Estate has also announced its intention to apply for planning for industrial units at Shepherds Farm, without any consultation with the sitting tenant and another sitting tenant adjacent to Newlyn East School, whose land appears to be earmarked for an Ocean Housing development. Presumably, the object of the closed meeting being to keep both tenants in the dark about potential developments that would directly affect them. This compounds a growing dossier of alleged harassment of various sitting tenants in order to clear the way for developments on their holdings. So much for transparency and openness in Cornwall’s planning process. Is this another mutation of the notorious private developers’ forum, the darling of Councillor Timothy “Concrete Cowboy” Dwelly, Bob “the Builder” Egerton and the ‘’Mad Monk of Kremlin Kernow’’ himself, John Betty (who now appears to be Phil Mason’s “Puppet-meister”)?