Letter to Cornwall Councillor, Jackie Bull (St Austell Poltair, jackie.bull@cornwallcouncillors.org.uk)
Dear Jackie,
Thank you for your further response.
I realise that you yourself work hard for your area, but sadly, and quite frankly, I think we're all a bit sick of the old refrain "it's the government/MP's fault".
Last night was yet another meeting for a totally inappropriate development in Mabe; one that would actually jeopardise local jobs, and here's what a few people who attended had to say about it on FB, within hours of the meeting:
“The disgusting thing about this meeting were
1) It was held in Penryn with very feeble reasons given as to why it was not held in Mabe.
2) The Local Cornwall Council Member (Peter Williams, Mabe, Perranarworthal and St Gluvias) was not present and had not been to any previous meetings or attended Parish Council Meetings for six months. He had also tried to get it dealt with under delegated powers.
3) No spokesman for the developers was present.
4) Attempts by residents to see relevant documents had been thwarted by Cornwall Council Officers when requested under FOI.
5) It was supposed to be a public meeting to give the residents answers to questions. There were lots of questions but no answers. The only good thing was that the Planning Committee Members present got the measure of how much hostility there was to this mad-brain and illegal scheme.”
“Wow! Many thanks for this appalling report. It shows just how much contempt planners and officers have for ordinary “local” people, or even for the planning process itself. As we’ve been saying for years, many planning officers - and even some Cornwall councillors - seem to be more interested in doing large developers’ dirty work for them, than actually working towards delivering any kind of sustainable and logical local planning. To say Cornwall is in a mess today because of it would be a huge understatement. Thank you very much for attending and for your brutal honesty.”
“It seems we at least convinced the developers’ representative that the application was a load of hogwash as he did not raise his hand when a speaker asked if anyone in the room was in favour of the development. Now all we need to do is convince the planning committee on the 11th February. 10 am Dolcoath Road. Please attend and show your support.”
“Cornwall councillors seem set on destroying all areas of outstanding beauty, it smells of very bad management and forethought, no consultation with the people. I have been holidaying in Cornwall for 60 years and have seen greed for bad development rearing its ugly head and greed for money by developers. Stop them now for the sake of a lovely county (sic).”
“It's been destroyed everywhere so sad.”
“All the speakers were very passionate and articulate. The tide may be turning at last. Cornwall has had enough!”
“It’s a shame the developers never made themselves known to the meeting instead of hiding at the back of the room!!”
“Totally agree. Cowards most probably!”
“That is not surprising. Just how much is passing hands to ensure these plans go ahead and to whom?”
“Well done Mabe and everyone who attended last night’s public meeting, especially as every attempt was made to hold the meeting in the most inconvenient venue for Mabe residents. What a turn out with excellent speakers. PLEASE take note Cornwall planners, the over-development of the beautiful county (sic) has to stop.”
“Kaczmarek, that’s the miner who worked mainly above ground who begged the Cornish to support Crofty and donate money only to turn his back on the industry. When he got elected and landed a seat on the corrupt planning committee, turned his back on his fellow miners and said Crofty has no future. Handy for the developers now building on and around Crofty. Turncoat springs to mind.”
“I sincerely hope the tide is turning in Cornwall in favour of the Cornish people. Well done to you all. Keep fighting.”
“Thank you for fighting for Cornwall.”
“I live in South East Cornwall with housing going up everywhere it seems.”
“It’s a shame all the planning people were not there as when they get the write-up to read, it will be cherry-picked and best bits left out. You all spoke very well and very constructive indeed, you did your best.”
“I had a depressing planning meeting where we learned that "Local need" may be applied with less and less distinction if our neighbourhood plans don't nail down exactly what "local need" means to the neighbourhood.”
“I completely agree with you, but remember, “these people”, like CEO Kate Kennally and John Betty, are paid up to £211,000/year to serve you, and their services are paid for by YOU!! They have no allegiance, affinity, knowledge of, interest in, loyalty or particular love of Cornwall, other than they landed an overpaid job here. So they think the only way they can get their queen’s medals, enhanced CVs and fat bonus cheques & golden handshakes, is to make their mark on the Duchy, literally, by covering our farms, valleys, moors, sports fields, roundabouts and woodland with as much poorly built national rubbish as possible, and if in the meantime they can also undermine the local ethnicity and localism, then that’s a bonus... These people are the scourge of Cornwall; the terms mercenaries and developers’ prostitutes are too kind to describe them. The type of people who’d sell their relatives if it got them a few extra quid. And that’s what our councillors are worshipping and swallowing hook, line and sinker, daily... Cornwall is unrecognisable from 10 years ago, let alone 20 or more. It’s criminal and it’s being facilitated by these white collar bandits, with OUR money!”
“I know, it’s disgusting our money pays their wages to represent us, only they don’t, it’s a bloody joke, and I think it’s us who are the butt of it, they must be laughing all the way to their second/third homes.”
“The woman in charge of Cornwall council refers to the people as the dumb masses.”
Whilst one attendee gave a fuller report:
"LAST NIGHT IN PENRYN.
The people of Mabe turned out in force to have their say at a public enquiry into a proposed development that threatens 35 jobs based in Trenoweth Quarry along with further traffic chaos in an already congested village centre.
The chair Councillor Mark Kaczmarek is to be congratulated for running an orderly meeting that was actually an unrelenting ferocious deconstruction of an unwanted development and the planners who wanted to pass it using delegated powers, effectively on a nod and a wink.
Councillor Kaczmarek gave a passable impression of a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding car while the senior planner and case officer present wore faces resembling a pair of soundly smacked arses as they were forced to sit and listen to a few unpalatable home truths from more than 30 listed speakers.
Most notably these included a retired former planning officer and a Government climate change scientist who explained the potentially catastrophic consequences of concreting over too much land in the event of climate change related extreme weather events such as the recent Boscastle, Zennor and Coverack floods where up to eight inches of rain fell in 3 hours.
It is said that we reap what we sow, in the case of Cornwall Council Planners this particular storm has been long in gestation until a coherent Cornish community pushed too far stood foursquare, pushing back bravely by saying that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH."
We'll let you decide for yourself whether or not our current planning process in Cornwall is fit for purpose... or not...
Regards,
For reference:
bob.egerton@cornwallcouncillors.org.uk, Probus, Tregony and Grampound - Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy
andrew.mitchell@cornwallcouncillors.org.uk, St Ives West - Portfolio Holder for Homes
kkennally@cornwall.gov.uk, Kate Kennally – CEO
John.Betty@cornwall.gov.uk, John Betty - Strategic Director Economic Growth and Development
Message from Cornish Solidarity:
Councillor Peter Williams is a disgrace to the office he was elected to and more particularly the good people of Mabe whom is is supposed to serve... It is obvious by his absence and lack of concern where his sympathies lie making him a prime example of what is wrong in the rotten core of our council... A damning example of the perversity of Cornwall Councils planners is the willingness to sacrifice real jobs in order to facilitate the construction of tatty houses that no one wants... However Mabe will prove to be the place where both the worm and the tide turned and people pushed back robustly... Hopefully their courage and passion will encourage others to call out the men of straw who are destroying Cornwall... The gathering economic slow down will squeeze the developers proving once again that every boom ends in a bust... Now may be the time for Mabe to consider the prospect of a judicial review into the obviously over cosy planner / developer relationship that is neither healthy or ethical... It is way past high time that Phil Mason John Betty and their senior planner cohorts are subjected to some in depth scrutiny because more and more genuine people are smelling some very large rats.
Outside of Cornwall's 14 main towns (Truro, Re'Druth, Camborne, St. Austell, Falmouth, Newquay, Penzance, Bodmin, Helston, Hayle, St. Ives, Penryn, Wadebridge, Liskeard), this petition's support has also come from many other towns, villages and hamlets across the Duchy, including:
Village (number of signatures)
Advent 1
Altarnun 1
Angarrack 5
Ashton 5
Barripper 9
Blackwater 6
Boconnoc 1
Bohetherick 1
Bolingey 9
Boscastle 8
Breage 7
Bridgerule 2
Bude 38
Budock Water 9
Bugle 12
Burlawn 1
Burras 2
Callestick 3
Callington 25
Calstock 4
Cambrose 2
Camelford 16
Canon's Town 3
Carbis Bay 22
Cardinham 2
Carharrack 16
Carlyon Bay 4
Carminnow Cross 1
Carn Brea 4
Carnhell Green 1
Carnkie 2
Carnkie Redruth 3
Carnmenellis 2
Carnon Downs 15
Chacewater 12
Chapel Amble 1
Charlestown 2
Churchtown 1
Coldvreath 1
Connor Downs 11
Constantine 13
Coverack 5
Crackington Haven 1
Crantock 7
Crowlas / Whitecross 6
Cubert 13
Delabole 10
Devoran 8
Dobwalls / Saint Neot 7
Downderry 6
Drakewalls / Harrowbarrow 2
Duporth 5
Edgcumbe 2
Egloshayle 9
Feock 10
Flushing 6
Four Cross 1
Four Lanes 12
Fowey 8
Foxhole 8
Fraddam 2
Frogpool 11
Germoe 7
Gloweth 14
Godolphin / Carleen 2
Goldenbank 16
Goldsithney 4
Goonbell 2
Goonhavern 25
Gorran Haven 10
Grampound 13
Grampound Road 6
Greenbottom 2
Gulval 9
Gunnislake 13
Gweek / Mawgan 6
Gwinear 3
Heamoor 20
Hewas Water 6
High Street / Coombe 4
Higher Brea 2
Holywell 3
Hugus 3
Illogan / Highway 38
Indian Queens / Fraddon 8
Isles of Scilly 2
Kea / Old Kea / Playing Place 4
Kelynack 1
Kilkhampton 3
Killigarth 2
Killivose 1
Ladock 5
Lamorna 2
Laneast 1
Lanivet 5
Lanlivery 2
Lanner 16
Lanreath 1
Latchley 1
Launceston 20
Lawhitton 1
Leedstown 4
Lelant 14
Lerryn / Saint Veep 2
Little Sinns / Treleigh 3
Lizard 12
Lockengate 1
Loggans 2
Long Downs 2
Longrock 5
Looe 24
Lostwithiel 25
Lower Town 3
Ludgvan 4
Luxulyan 9
Mabe Burnthouse 22
Madron 4
Malpas 2
Manaccan 2
Marazanvose 2
Marazion 11
Marhamchurch 3
Mawgan Porth 7
Mawla 2
Mawnan Smith 10
Maxworthy 1
Mevagissey 18
Michaelstow 1
Millbrook / Kingsand 8
Mithian 5
Mount Hawke 16
Mousehole 4
Mullion / Gunwalloe 10
Mylor Bridge 9
Nancegollan / Releath 6
Nancledra 3
Nanpean 8
Nanstallon 1
New Mill 3
Newbridge 2
Newlyn 31
North Tamerton 1
Padstow 34
Par 41
Park Bottom 6
Paul / Kerris 3
Pencoed 1
Pendeen 10
Penelewey 2
Penhale 2
Penhallow 2
Penhalvean 3
Penpillick 2
Penpol 2
Penponds 2
Pensilva 2
Pentewan 4
Pentire 10
Penwithick / Trethurgy 10
Perranarworthal 5
Perranporth 68
Perranwell 1
Perranwell Station 9
Petherwin Gate 1
Phillack 2
Philleigh 4
Polgooth / Trelowth 5
Pollkerris 1
Polmassick 1
Polperro 1
Polruan 2
Polzeath 9
Ponsanooth 13
Pool 20
Port Isaac 4
Porthcothan Bay 1
Porthcurno / Trethewey 2
Porthleven 23
Porthtowan 20
Portloe 2
Portreath 9
Portscatho 5
Portwrinkle 1
Poughill 1
Praa Sands 5
Praze-an-Beeble 7
Probus 11
Quethiock / Saint Ive 4
Quintrell Downs / Mountjoy 5
Rescorla 3
Roche 13
Rock 2
Rose 6
Rosemellin 1
Rosudgeon 7
Ruan Minor 3
Ruanhighlanes 1
Saint Agnes 29
Saint Ann's Chapel / Coxpark 4
Saint Blazey 23
Saint Breock / Whitecross / Edmonton 6
Saint Buryan 12
Saint Cleer / Darite/ Common Moor 4
Saint Clement 3
Saint Clether 2
Saint Columb / Major 32
Saint Columb Minor / Porth 22
Saint Day 34
Saint Dennis 12
Saint Endellion / Trelights 2
Saint Enoder 1
Saint Erth 11
Saint Ervan / Penrose 3
Saint Eval 15
Saint Germans / Tideford 3
Saint Hilary / Relubbus 3
Saint Issey 4
Saint Just 31
Saint Just in Roseland 2
Saint Keverne 14
Saint Kew Highway 4
Saint Keyne / Duloe / Trewidland 5
Saint Levan 3
Saint Mabyn 5
Saint Martin 8
Saint Mawes 6
Saint Mawgan 1
Saint Merryn 8
Saint Minver 5
Saint Newlyn East 9
Saint Stephen 11
Saint Teath 3
Saint Tudy 5
Saltash 14
Sancreed / Grumbla 3
Scarecewater 1
Scorrier 7
Sennen / Cove 5
Shortlanesend 10
Sithney 4
Skinners Bottom 1
South Hill 1
Stenalees 13
Stibb 1
Sticker 3
Stithians 6
Stratton 8
Summercourt 3
Tehidy 1
Temple / Blisland 2
Three Burrows / Penstraze 3
Threemilestone 17
Tintagel 3
Tolgus Mount 3
Tolvaddon 1
Torpoint 5
Towednack 2
Townshend 1
Trebullett 1
Treburley 1
Trebyan 2
Trecombe 1
Tredavoe 1
Tregavethan 3
Tregony 7
Tregorrick 3
Tremail 1
Tremar 2
Tremore / Ruthernbridge 2
Tresillian 7
Tresmeer 1
Trevarrian / Tregurrian 2
Trevelgue 4
Trevemper 2
Treverva 3
Trevingey 2
Treviscoe 2
Trewellard 2
Trewennack 2
Trewoon 12
Trispen / Saint Erme 9
Troon 13
Truscott 1
Twelveheads 4
Tywardreath 11
Upton Cross 3
Veryan 5
Voguebeloth 4
Warbstow 2
Washaway 1
Wendron 5
Wheal Rose 4
Whitemoor 3
Whitstone / Week Saint Mary 3
Widegates / No Man's Land 4
Widemouth Bay 4
Zelah 4
Zennor 2