A quote from holidaymakers in 1987 (that’s 33 years ago!!):
“We come to Pembrokeshire now, it reminds us of former holidays spent in Cornwall before it was spoilt”.
Letter from political and cultural group KMTU:
To: Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing Communities & Local Government
Rt Hon George Eustice MP
Steve Double MP Cornwall's Representative to the Council of Europe
Scott Mann MP
Sherryl Murray MP
Derek Thomas MP
Cherilyn Mackrory MP
Thangham Debbonaire MP Shadow Housing Minister
All Cornwall Councillors
The Council of Europe
Media
Ladies & Gentlemen,
We object to the “Planning for the Future” White Paper
The spiralling building frenzy that threatens to overwhelm Cornwall and erase its indigenous people
For some length of time now, more and more people have become concerned at the destruction of Cornwall and the refusal to properly recognise the wishes of the indigenous Cornish people in respect of their heritage, history, culture and homes, natural and built environment.
The latest scatterbrained plans by an increasingly dysfunctional and accident- prone Westminster government are now making headlines and drawing real concerns from those of us in Cornwall who are witnessing the outcomes of policies made up 'on the hoof.'.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is proposing a 'standard method for establishing housing requirement figures across 'England.' (sic)
Lichfield Planning Consultants have already assessed what this means for the various council areas and have reported that the annual target for Cornwall would need to be 4,054.
The current Cornwall Local Plan (2010-2030) has a target of 52,500 new properties – that is 2,625 per annum.
The current delivery (last three years) is 64,060.
The current standard method is 56,400.
The new standard method will be 81,080.
Cornwall’s resident population is declining (the increase in population is due to in-migration), between 2010 and 2029 the number of (Cornish) households is predicted to fall by 2,000.
Including in-migration – household numbers are expected to increase by 38,000 between 2010 and 2030.
The maximum should be 38,000 but it could go lower.
There are between 20,000 and 30,000 holiday lets in Cornwall, let’s say 25,000 – so that's 25,000 houses we don’t need to build.
38,0000 minus 25,000 would leave us with a target of 13,000!
And without in-migration the figure would be even lower.
The fact is that houses are being built largely so that estate agents can sell them to people outside Cornwall.
The Cornish people were included in the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 2014. Already, we are witnessing what a toothless instrument that is. Our political leaders have cast aside Article 5, sub articles 1 and 2 and the fine words lay crushed in the stampede of unaffordable housing being thrown up, much of it substandard.
More houses mean more people and more cars. Cornwall's public infrastructure is already broken and our public services struggle to cope.
The eventual outcome will be inevitable.
What are some Cornwall Councillors saying?
Cornwall Councillor Dick Cole is now on record expressing his serious concerns about the disaster that is set to occur.
He recently remarked, “The Government is claiming that it wants to create a ‘more engaging, equitable and effective’ planning system, in which the voice of communities is heard.
But such claims are nonsense if Government Ministers intend to impose such a ridiculous and unsustainable housing target on Cornwall.
They are clearly not interested in Cornish residents having a stake in one of the biggest decisions about the future of Cornwall.
The new White Paper will be a disaster for Cornwall and would undermine so much about what makes Cornwall special.
Please join me in calling on the UK Government and MPs to think again.”
Cornwall Councillor Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council's Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy has said: “It was bad enough when the Government changed the rules to allow developers not to include affordable homes on sites of up to 10. That created real misery in many Cornish villages.
Now they have made the get-out rule five times that. The timing is almost unthinkable as Cornwall faces a winter of job losses. As many as one in four could be out of work here, after furlough ends this autumn.
The new rule abolishes the ‘section 106’ rules which typically require at least a third of homes on a new development to be affordable. In the small print the threshold of 10 homes was changed to 50.
This really matters because more than half of all affordable homes in Cornwall, around 1,000 each year, are funded this way.
In urban areas, a green light will be given to developers to avoid sites over 50 so they don’t have to provide affordable homes.”
Meanwhile Cornwall Councillor Andrew Mitchell, Cornwall Council's Portfolio Holder for Homes has said: “This is a real blow for the delivery of affordable homes for Cornwall, and will hit those most in need of support in today’s housing market. Due to the nature of house building in this part of the world, we see many ‘fill in’ developments of a few dozen homes, so we will be disproportionately affected by this unexpected change of policy.
Cornwall Council has been a leading authority in providing affordable homes for our residents in recent years, and to see our ability to continue to do so hit so harshly, out of the blue, is incredibly frustrating.”
What have we seen happen in the recent past?
Those of us who attended the carefully stage-managed local planning hearing in Newquay in 2016, chaired by the incredibly arrogant Bristol-based planning inspector, Simon Emerson who has now left the public service to become a paid “adviser” to the developers, will vividly remember how he privileged them while silencing Cornish voices that warned that this very problem would occur.
We realised then, despite the oppressive and bullying attendance of security guards as well as Mr. Emerson turning off the microphone as local people spoke, that all promises made by the Westminster Government, its agencies and quangos, working in collusion with certain “misguided” Councillors and overawed Council employees, were as good and permanent as writing in the beach sand. We saw one of Cornwall's longest serving and respected local Councillors, whose family have served Cornwall in public office for many long years, simply closed down. We all witnessed firsthand that day, ruthless preference being shown to the developers, their counsel and those with only financial interests at heart, and many afterwards referred to the day as one when democracy died in Cornwall.
Our concerns and predictions went unheeded, and to this day, the people of Cornwall are denied a meaningful voice.
Our voices may be but small but with this level of destruction and building over our beloved Cornwall, they are very likely to become smaller still, as our traditional environment, heritage and culture is inevitably erased.
This uncontrolled frenzy will also threaten Cornwall's plans for a better and greener environment, and for any meaningful moves to tackle climate change.
Dr Bernard Deacon, renowned Cornish academic and researcher writing recently of the proposals, said "This is now well beyond a joke. Government wants to speed up suburbanisation, environmental degradation, colonisation, ethnocide project by building 81,000 new houses, or almost NINE Truros, in Cornwall over next 20 years."
His words are so true.
What are we asking?
We are not interested in trivial Westminster party politics. Our only concern is for Cornwall.
We object to the over-development that we are witnessing.
We call upon all of Cornwall's elected MPs and Councillors to stand up for Cornwall against this over-development.
We object to the proposals being circulated by the distant Westminster Government in their 'Planning for the Future' White Paper.
We call for all planning powers to be devolved to full and local democratic control and oversight in Cornwall.
We are able to make our own planning decisions right here in Cornwall.
You can read more of Councillor Cole's observations here:
http://mebyonkernow.blogspot.com/2020/08/short-briefing-on-planning-white-paper_13.html
Cornwall Council's Climate Change Development Plan Consultation Document
Here is a link to the consultation which will be thrown into disarray by the unparalleled blizzard of building which will be hitting Cornwall. For every house built, there will be double the number of people and for all those people, at least one car, as well as demands on our already broken infrastructure:
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/planning/planning-policy/adopted-plans/development-plan-documents/climate-change-development-plan-document/
Existing petition not under our control:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-killing-cornwall-reverse-council-agendas
Kernow bys vyken!
John, Teresa, Craig, Tony, Matt, Mike, Clive, Ronan, Alex, Rob & Maria
Elected Members of the KMTU Steering Group
Our thanks to The Cornish Social and Economic Research Group (CoSERG) for their information
Seems Wales has similar problems to Cornwall
www.dailypost.co.uk/news/wales-not-sale-fears-holiday-18787123
The expensive Phil Mason-driven damage to Truro steams ahead:
www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/18652925.land-acquired-new-village-cornwall-langarth-truro
Watch out Chacewater!
www.rightmove.co.uk/news/articles/property-news/most-popular-village-in-the-uk
Meanwhile in St. Ives:
What a surprise! How convenient is that? By Rashleigh MacFarlane on 12th August 2020:
Fire has swept through the Edward Hain community hospital in St Ives, causing severe damage.
The hospital has been closed to in-patients for four years while Cornwall’s health chiefs wrangled with local campaigners over the building’s future. There had been hopes it could become a focal point to help ease elderly local residents back into the community after a stay in an acute hospital.
The future of the site is once more in doubt. The building was empty when the fire started and no-one was hurt. Last night's blaze will make it easier for those senior officials in Cornwall's health community who want to sell the site for redevelopment.
The fire started at around 9.30pm last night. At one stage six fire engines were at the scene, as eye-witnessed described flames and smoke billowing through the roof.
Fire crews think the blaze started accidentally, possibly as a result of an electrical fault.
When health chiefs closed the hospital in 2016 they claimed “fire risk” as one of their main reasons, even though there had never been a fire at the hospital before.
The Edward Hain hospital was gifted to the community of St Ives in 1920 by the family of Captain Edward Hain, who had been killed during the first world war.
In Pendower on the Roseland, a developer tries to raise local support for destroying another AONB, after meeting with stiff resistance:
www.pendower-development.co.uk/latest-news/your-opportunity-to-find-out-more-and-support-the-planning-application
And in Illogan:
New planning application for further changes to the Glebe in Illogan PA20/06678
Coastline want to take down two trees that are in the way of a badly planned pedestrian walkway, 'to provide greater visibility and reduce the perception of a narrow, enclosed space' ( their own words used in the revised application.)
These trees are used regularly by bats and our local resident tawny owls.
These trees border the Rectory, owned by the Diocese of Truro. The Diocese are mentioned in the application that they requested for this to be done.
Has Illogan not lost enough trees lately? A 70 year old sycamore was recently felled as it didn't fit in with the frontage of the estate.
It is to be replaced by an ornamental tree that is non native and will probably die in its first year.
Coastline are also applying to withdraw most of the natural planting in front of their properties. So basically they have squeezed too many houses into too small a plot and now are withdrawing one of the things that probably helped them get planning in the first place, the gesture of keeping the look of the estate as green and as nature friendly as possible. In fact, a Coastline representative has recently reminded me in an email that "I wanted to let you know that we are also still working with ecologists on this scheme towards the Building with Nature accreditation." Laughable…
Finally, when democracy died in Cornwall, as unelected overpaid officers overrule elected councillors:
https://cornishstuff.com/2020/08/03/councillors-overruled-by-officer