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Press Release 1

Thursday 12th May 2005.

‘Stop The Marina!’ – Protest group forms after viewing proposed plans.

Following a public exhibition of proposed plans for the development of Penlee quarry last Friday and Saturday, a group of concerned local residents have formed a protest group in order to oppose the scheme. “A marina on this scale is totally inappropriate for our area, I could understand it if it was in the South of France” protested Olga Stancombe to non-plussed representatives for the developers. It is currently proposed to build upwards of two hundred houses and a luxury hotel, effectively creating a village four times the size of Paul, sales from which are intended to fund the entire development.

“People need to understand that this development is not intended to benefit the local community, but is a money-making venture for the quarry owners,” said Caroline Astin. MDL Developments Ltd have leased the quarry from owners Hanson with the condition that it be developed as a marina. However there is no certainty that this condition can be fulfilled. Representatives of MDL offered contradictory statements as to the current and future commercial viability as a working quarry and the Stop The Marina! group will seek clarification on this. "There is always the option of letting the land revert back to nature or using sympathetic development to create a haven for wildlife" said Adam Whaley, "there is already a wide selection of species including peregrine falcons and badgers" he added.

It is still necessary to obtain planning permission from Penwith District Council for the proposed building work, and an empowerment order is required from the House of Lords in order to turn the quarry into a harbour. These permissions will be sought in September and could take a year to be decided, after which building work on the marina will commence. Most of the concern expressed at the display of plans centred on increased traffic flow, particularly through Newlyn village. The project could also be halted by County Highways if it is decided that the traffic congestion problem is insurmountable.

The first meeting of the ‘Stop The Marina!’ group will meet at The Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn on Tuesday 17th May at 7.30pm. Anyone who is concerned about the Port Penlee marina project and any other over-development in and around Newlyn is welcome. The marina plans and artist’s impressions for the quarry can be viewed online at http://www.penlee.com/ and at Penwith District Council’s Offices at St Clare.

Press Release 2

Monday 23^rd May 2005

Standing room only as residents say “No”!

Concerned residents of Penzance, Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul packed the Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn last Tuesday 17^th May for the first meeting of the Stop The Marina! protest group. The group had formed to resist proposals to turn Penlee quarry into a housing development incorporating two hundred houses, a luxury hotel, shops, offices and a 195-berth marina. The meeting attracted the attention of BBC Radio Cornwall who recorded parts of the discussion for broadcast the next day on the morning news.

Founder member Caroline Astin welcomed everyone and explained that the group was formed when she and partner Adam Whaley met with Olga Stancombe and other local residents at the recent public exhibition hosted by the developers, Marina Developments Ltd, in Newlyn.  Many of those present at the exhibition were so aghast at the excessive scale of the scheme that the protest group was formed on the spot. The feeling was amplified at last Tuesday’s meeting and cries of “something has to be done to stop this’ echoed around the room. As one wag commented after seeing the scale model: “it looks like something out of Thunderbirds”! Other opinions were more subdued: “I saw a poll in the Guardian newspaper some years ago, it said Mount’s Bay was one of the most beautiful bays in the world and anyone who has lived here knows this” said Caroline. “This kind of natural beauty, once spoilt, is gone for ever”, she added. Olga Stancombe expressed her concerns about the impact on local tourism: “When you see the old world charm of Mousehole and Paul being only a stone’s throw away, it is easy to understand why a marina stuck in the middle would put people off coming here. Visitors come from far and wide to enjoy our beautiful bay” she said, “this is the last thing they want to see”, pointing to a three dimensional model illustrated in the previous week’s Cornishman.

Caroline Astin then went on to ask: “On a more practical note, the next question we have to ask ourselves is, in what way does this benefit local residents? It is not as if the council has acquired the land to do something for the local community. This is a private venture. The houses will not be ‘affordable’ but will be sold at full market value to offset the £57m cost of the development”.

Adam Whaley then told the group of his experiences in New Quay, Wales, where local residents and businesses campaigned successfully to overturn a similar proposed development. Adam, who was Town Clerk and also the Secretary for the local Chamber of Trade at the time, was also part of a local movement whose opposition to the scheme eventually caused the developers to pull out. “I am telling you this so that you know it can be done,” he said.

The general feeling was that the sheer scale of the development was overwhelming – as one member commented: “This isn’t just a marina, this is a whole new town that will, in effect, be three times the size of Paul”. After a lively discussion, several concerns were identified; especially those that will strain the existing infrastructure:

 ‘Traffic Nightmare’

Each of the houses will need car access. The hotel, shops and offices will also need car access. The properties are all obviously designed for car owners. All these extra car movements will add to the existing traffic problem through the notorious Newlyn Bridge bottleneck. We will also have the additional traffic movements from the lorries and vans servicing the new shops and hotel. There will also be inordinate delays along the Newlyn-Mousehole road when the lifting bridge is being operated – said to be ‘several times a day’. This will be especially so during peak holiday season. As a result, there is certain to be increased traffic through Paul village in an attempt to avoid the delays.

Issue was taken with the developer’s claims that the scheme will bring new jobs and it was soon realised that if any jobs were created, most of these would be seasonal and low paid. In addition, these job gains would be more than offset as the many incomers buying these expensive new houses will presumably need to have paid employment to pay the mortgages. In other words, they will need jobs, and where else might these jobs be coming from if not locally? The effect, therefore, will be for incomers to compete for jobs that could otherwise be filled by existing members of our community.

'2^nd Homes’

Of the new properties not bought by working incomers, it was postulated that many other properties in the development would become second homes or commercially let holiday homes. The adverse effect of this is already well known. Furthermore, any new holiday home businesses (not forgetting the new luxury hotel also) would compete with our existing accommodation providers. Further to the second/holiday homes issue: visitors tend to use the roads even more than residents adding further to existing congestion problems.

‘Newlyn Development’

Some members of the group were perplexed at contradictory comments raised at other public meetings, some suggesting that the various other schemes for the regeneration of Newlyn may have difficulty proceeding without the Port Penlee marina project. As Adam Whaley suggested: “I suspect this is a typical tactic whereby they are trying to fob us off with a package of incentives and sweeteners”. He citied the prospective development of the South Beach, the new fish market and seafood park as examples. “I really don’t see why we have to have a marina development to implement these other schemes – most have merit in their own right and they need not be mutually exclusive”.

There were many other concerns raised too, some of which included: 1. The inordinate construction time that would cause chaos, noise and filth for years and the thousands of construction lorry movements during that time - this would have an adverse impact on local tourism revenues as well as severely affecting local businesses. 2. An unsightly fifty-foot high radio antennae sited at the top of the quarry. 3. Increased demands on an already overstretched water supply and sewerage facilities. 4. Increased demands on emergency services. 5. The thousands of tons of topsoil that would be required 6. Disturbance caused by the blasting required to create a channel from the quarry to the sea, and the removal of the rock for sea defences. 7. Previous marina developments were said to have used outside contractors for the major construction work; local labour and suppliers are seldom used. 8. An access road to the quarry near the Gwavas estate has already been constructed and is currently in use.

Overall, opposition to the scheme was strong and the mood of the meeting was one of quiet determination. A number of strategies to combat the development are to be pursued. A second public meeting is planned for June, meanwhile a steering group has been formed to gather information and to raise awareness. Anyone wishing to become involved should contact Caroline Astin on 01736 331086.

Press Release 3

Monday 13^th June 2005.

In response to the article in last week’s Cornishman entitled ‘Fears raised over Penlee marina traffic’, the recently formed protest group ‘Stop The Marina!’ also shares the concerns of local Newlyn resident Graham Hewitt, having appraised his personally compiled traffic report and its disturbing conclusions. In an endeavour to allay Mr Hewitt’s and our concerns, The Stop The Marina! group publicly challenge the Port Penlee team to come clean over their traffic assessment and to reveal how their figures were compiled.

The Traffic Impact Assessment figures for the developers were compiled and published by their consultants, Hyder yet these figures do not bear any resemblance to Mr Hewitt’s. The disparity is astonishing: Hyder estimates approximately 550 vehicles per day departing or arriving from the proposed Port Penlee marina development (1). Mr Hewitt estimates approximately 1400 per day (report on file). How can such a huge disparity be so as Mr Hewitt has based his report on known government figures as published by the Office of National Statistics? We are not told what Hyder base their figures on as they refuse to tell us!

Adam Whaley, a member of Stop The Marina!, telephoned Mr Ian George of Hyder Consulting to try and find out why the public is not allowed to see the reasoning behind the Traffic Impact Assessment despite publishing the findings. (2). Mr George said they were “interim figures” and gave an assurance that some revised figures and their methodology would become available “later in the year” when they are to be submitted along with the planning application.

The Stop The Marina! group therefore contend that this practice of last minute disclosure is wholly unacceptable and furthermore:

 1. Demand that Hyder immediately disclose the reasoning behind the published interim figures. We consider it unreasonable that the developers can use these figures in their public relations exercises and yet give no detail as to how they were compiled.

2. Publish any new traffic assessment figures, and their methodology, as soon as possible and well before any planning application.

3. Explain why Penzance/Newlyn/Penlee Developments have benefited from at least £7000 of public funds that have been allocated for traffic assessments. This is documented in the published minutes of Penwith District Council. (3)

4. Explain why the press and public were excluded from such meetings. (3)

5. Explain why the public is not allowed to see the results of a traffic survey that was paid for using public money.

There are strong rumours that a series of traffic improvements to relieve the current congestion in Newlyn, and to accommodate the prospective huge increase in traffic flows resulting from Penlee Marina, are being considered by Penwith District Council. One of these schemes is said to involve the compulsory purchase and demolition of a number of historic properties to facilitate the construction of a roundabout at Newlyn Bridge (see photo 1). We are given to understand that a number of owners of property potentially earmarked for demolition have already been approached by representatives for the developers in this respect. (2)

The Stop The Marina! Group is opposed to such drastic measures and request that Penwith District Council publicly reveal any such plans, together with their options, variations and preferences.

Of particular concern to the group is the area of historic Newlyn known as ‘The Narrows’ (see photo 2). This is the tightest of several Newlyn bottlenecks which is constricted on both sides by several listed historic buildings. The Stop The Marina! group is also opposed to the compulsory purchase and demolition of any of these properties. The group would like to hear from any other owners of property in Newlyn that have been approached by the developers with a view to private sale.

Due to the complexity in solving the seemingly impossible problem of traffic congestion in Newlyn that would be caused by the Port Penlee Marina project should it go ahead, it has been mooted that a new access road be constructed from Drift. At a recent meeting of the steering group for Stop The Marina!, Jan and Olga Stancome of Mousehole (4) reported on a meeting they had with Tony Woodhams, Newlyn Fisheries Project Officer and member of the development team, in which he relayed the disturbing information that a number of fields surrounding Penlee Quarry had been purchased by Mr Tony Jarman, another member of the development team. The Stop The Marina! group will therefore be seeking assurances from Mr Jarman and others that a new access road across the fields above Penlee is not being considered.

Another major problem involving traffic delays is the proposed lifting bridge along the Newlyn to Mousehole road. The bridge will lift to allow boats over a certain height to enter and leave the marina at Penlee but will, in itself, cause enormous headaches for road users due to the inordinate traffic delays caused when the bridge is open. This is anticipated to occur several times a days causing long tailbacks. Our fears have been echoed by Penwith District Council who have stated in a recent letter (5) to one of our members “whilst the recent public consultation exercise may give the impression that many problems are already addressed I can assure you that there remains much discussion between this authority and the developers”. E.G. the problems have not been solved.

Hyder have published an estimate of figures for traffic tailbacks and these are quoted to be up to twenty-five vehicles long. The single date on which these figures have been based happens to be a bank holiday Monday in August of which any Newlyn resident will be aware is the day of our fish festival. On this day Newlyn is closed to traffic thus severely reducing the volume along the Mousehole road! Has this particular day been deliberately chosen to show much less traffic volume or are the consultants totally out of touch with local events?

The Stop The Marina! Group challenge Hyder to:

1. Explain why the day of the fish festival has been used for the ‘volume of traffic’ estimates (6).

2. Explain why a twelve hour time period has been used and not a peak period window when traffic would be greatest.

There are other anti-marina groups in the UK and across the world. Stop The Marina! is in active contact with these groups and will be exchanging findings. (7) Other intrusive and non-viable marina projects have been stopped in the past using a variety of measures of which the group is actively pursuing.

Stop The Marina! will shortly embark on a poster and leaflet campaign (8) to raise awareness of the many threats (traffic chaos, impact on tourism, overloaded infrastructure etc) and to dispel the common myths surrounding the proposed project such as ‘affordable housing’, ’jobs creation’,  ‘economic prosperity’, ‘low environmental impact’ and the oft-threatened nonsense: ‘reversion of Penlee to a quarry if there is no marina’! We aim to systematically demolish all the developer’s hype and our findings will be presented at a full-scale public meeting and presentation in due course. There are a number of more-appropriate alternatives that the developers have chosen to overlook. We will demonstrably highlight those alternatives.

Anyone wishing to join or assist the Stop The Marina! group can contact our spokesperson, Caroline Astin, on 01736 331086.

<ends>

References:

1. http://www.pnpteam.com/docs/Penlee%20May%202005%20.PDF page 6
2. Adam Whaley tel 364554
3. http://www.penwith.gov.uk/media/adobe/p/c/mr131004.pdf (page 4, item R52), (page 4, item R51)
4. Jan & Olga Stancombe tel 731067
5. letter from PDC to Mr C. Clemence tel
6. http://www.pnpteam.com/docs/Penlee%20May%202005%20.PDF page 8
7. http://www.marinaassociation.org/news2.cfm?NewsID=533
8. see attachment .pdf file

Protest Groups Join Forces

Important meeting to save Newlyn Coombe from the developers. St Peter's Chruch Hall, Wednesday 28th September 7pm. Also to be announced: an alliance with the Stop The Marina! (in Penlee Quarry) protest group.

Please be there to give your support. Please fwd this email to anyone you think may be able to help.

Thanks,

Adam Whaley.

>

Newlyn Fish Industries Forum, Penwith District Council and SWERDA want to develop 16 acres of pristine green field site to create a 'Seafood Park' E.G. a 70'000 sq ft fish-processing plant at the junction of the A30 and Newlyn Coombe. This will supposedly save Newlyn's fishing industry (which is currently in rapid decline due to over-fishing). Yes, I know the whole idea sounds crazy but that is what we are being told!

For the past five years Mr Brian Dodd (Squadron Leader RAF Ret'd) has been carrying out a voluntary fieldwork survey in Newlyn Coombe for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust to provide data for the Cornwall Bird Atlas Project. Below is listed the wildlife he has recorded in Newlyn Coombe, including 58 different bird species, a number of which are of concern to the RSPB due to their declining numbers.

Breeding Birds: Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Dipper, Tree Creeper, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Kestral, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Willow Warbler, Chiff-Chaff, Mistle Thrush, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Jay, Nuthatch, Tawny Owl. All these birds use the fields, mature trees or fish for food for themselves and their young.

Winter Birds/Other Residents: Kingfisher, Grey Heron, Little Egrets, Woodcock and Water Rail are residents. Visitors include: Redwing, Fieldfare, Firecrest, Goldcrest, Barn Owl.

Mammals: Otter, Grey Squirrel, Stoat, Mink, Hedgehogs, Rabbits (both standard and black), Bats.

Butterflies: Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Specked Ward, Large/Small Whites, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Common Blue/Holly Blue, Clouded Yellow, Skipper, Small Copper.

Dragonflies/Damselflies: Demoiselle, Emperor and Golden Ringed Dragonflies, Common Darter, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Broad-Bodied Chaser, Common/Migrant Hawker.

>

Protect Newlyn Coombe!

It has been proposed to site a vast seafood processing plant and lorry park in the Coombe covering a area of 70,000sq ft. This will change this area from semi rural to industrial in character.

This area forms one of the most attractive gateways to Newlyn and the coastline of Lands End.

It is alleged that this development will protect and secure jobs in the fishing industry. We question the quality of such jobs, will they pay more than minimum wage? We also question whether existing processing businesses are not simply intending to relocate and then develop their vacant premises within Newlyn into luxury flats. We ask whether the increased levels of traffic, noise pollution, light pollution and smell caused by 24hr production, disposal of effluent waste and the loss of this lovely greenfield site and its wildlife are justified by the gains made.

We urge everyone to examine this proposal before it is too late. For further information call Tony Williams on 01736 351666

Press Release 5

Monday 9/10/05

Open Letter/Article, The Cornishman.

NEWLYN DEVELOPERS: THERE IS AN ELEPHANT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM!

The developers for the proposed Penlee Quarry marina scheme invited a representative of our group to attend a recent ‘planning for real’ workshop which hoped to identify ways of solving the traffic congestion problems in Newlyn. We were told that the results of this workshop would then be ‘fed into the methodology to facilitate the planning process’ but basically, this four-hour meeting was only worthwhile in confirming one thing: that there is, and never will be, an effective way to solve the traffic problem in Newlyn; furthermore, adding more traffic will only make matters worse. We, and many others, have tried drawing attention to this simple fact on countless occasions but our shouts fall on deaf ears. It seems there are none so deaf as those who do not want to hear.

Yesterday (Saturday), we visited the public exhibition of the proposed Newlyn Harbour and Sandy Cove regeneration schemes. We read the conclusions and proposed solutions of the so-called ‘Planning For Real’ workshop and, once again, we feel we must shout as loudly as possible: “THERE IS AN ELEPHANT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM! and this enormous elephant has the word ‘traffic’ written all over it”.

We were astonished to read the consultant’s report that Newlyn Junction ‘is relatively safe and does perform reasonably well when compared with alternative ideas’. We managed to translate this into English and it read: ‘we haven’t got a damn clue so you’ll just have to live with it’. Quite what the ‘alternative ideas’ are we weren’t told. Another translation read: “here are a few token changes to justify our consultation fee”.

A traffic management maverick had even come up with the brilliant suggestion of ‘investigating the use of a water taxi’ – very useful for the school run. It was probably the same maverick that tells us that the traffic flow increases in our peak holiday season by only 12%. Quite what planet he obtained that figure from is anyone’s guess.

The developer’s proposed solutions to Newlyn’s forthcoming gridlock were then spelled out on a display board thus:

1. reduce confusing signage.
2. remove on-street parking
3. improve pedestrian & cycle links
4. improve confusing speed limit variations
5. “What elephant?”

There was not one single mention of the inevitable effects of the extra traffic generated by the 1000 new residents of Port Penlee, and no mention either of the extra volume generated by all the other schemes. We would therefore like to remind the developers, and the planning committee, and our fellow residents of Newlyn what changes and increases in road traffic they might expect from the following:

Port Penlee: 200 new houses and flats, a luxury hotel, holiday villas, offices, shops, businesses, a pub, a restaurant and a 195-berth marina.

Sandy Cove: Watersports Centre (sub-aqua, jet skis, water skiing and public slipway), Scout’s Clubhouse, Lobster Hatchery with visitor attraction, Visitor Centre, large car park, long and short-term boat storage, boat yard and maintenance buildings, engineering workshops, offices and a boat hoist.

Newlyn Harbour: Extensive conversion into apartments of many old buildings in Newlyn Coombe. Conversion of the old Ice Works into apartments. Extensive renovation and demolition of existing property along an area of The Strand from the in-filled old wet dock, along Fore Street and ending at Trewarveneth Street ‘to create shops, houses and waterside apartments'. A car park in place of the current fish market. There is also a further area earmarked for development on the inside of the harbour, this area will run from the inshore RNLI building (covering over the old cobbled slipway), to a point alongside the junction of Church Street. Oh, and ‘a marina facility for small boats’ in the middle of the Harbour.

All the new residents, workers, shoppers and visitors to these new dwellings, facilities and attractions will have to travel through Newlyn junction. This is not our idea of planning for real – It’s planning from hell!

However, there may be one looming solution to Newlyn’s traffic problem and that is when the price of a barrel of oil reaches $100, petrol and diesel cost over £2 a litre, and the housing bubble has finally burst. Only then will we see a reduction in traffic flows. At that time the Port Penlee and Seafood Park developers may have to deal with an additional two elephants – white ones!

Tuesday 11^th October 2005

TWENTY QUESTIONS:

We would like to draw attention to a notice published in the rear pages of the Cornishman’s classified section for the past four issues entitled: Harbours Act 1964 (as amended) ‘Proposed Penzance Harbour Revision Order’. The Applicants are Penwith District Council.

The notice ostensibly constitutes a planning application that informs us of the following proposals:

 Construction of a new one-and-a-quarter-acre concourse for the new Scillonian Terminal. This will be built on the northern part of Battery Rocks and constructed by building a new 165metre long stone wall built some 50metres seaward in front of the existing south Harbour wall, commencing from the eastern apex of the Jubilee Pool and running parallel to the harbour wall and terminating at the ‘kink’ in the harbour near the lock gate. The Lighthouse pier will be extended by 61metres, the old lighthouse demolished and a new one built on the end of the new extension. The entire construction will be reinforced using very large stone blocks. The newly-created area opposite The Barbican will then be filled in (with stone) and become a large open-plan concourse for the pick-up and set-down of passengers for the Scillonian. There will be a new all-weather passenger terminal, a freight terminal, covered walkway and public conveniences: all built on the new concourse.

click image to enlarge

The purpose of this press release is not to oppose this scheme but to highlight a number of very important questions that deserve answers:

2. Where will the money come from to finance the construction and how much will it cost?

3. What proportion of the costs, if any, have been grant-funded and if so, by whom?

4. Is the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company Ltd a private company?

5. Why has this major scheme not received the usual fanfare of press announcements and public consultations as per the Newlyn Harbour and Port Penlee schemes?

6. Why haven’t any of the supporting documents (impact assessments etc) been publicly available for scrutiny, or advertised as such, as per the other Penwith and Newlyn schemes?

7. Why has an expensive scale model been constructed and then hidden in a corner of Penwith District Council’s offices at St Clare?

8. Who commissioned and paid for this scale model?

Unfortunately, It doesn’t just end there:

When we went up to Penwith District Council’s offices to view the plans, we came across the table-top sized scale model mentioned above (see photos). On this scale model were two enormous stone breakwaters that were situated off Penzance Promenade roughly either side of the Queen’s Hotel. Nothing could have prepared us for the sheer size of these breakwaters, either of which would easily dwarf the largest oil tanker. In fact, each one was about ten times the floor area of the Queen’s Hotel itself! We can estimate that they will be in the region of twenty feet high and fully visible at both low and high tide. They will almost certainly dominate, and even obliterate, the view of the horizon from Penzance Promenade.

click image to enlarge

Having referred to the proposals, the breakwaters are supposedly to protect the promenade from storm damage but this begs several more questions:

16. Are these two enormous breakwaters really necessary to protect a promenade that has withstood the ravages of countless severe storms over its 150-year life span? 

17. The storm damage quoted and illustrated in the supporting documents appears to be no more than normal wear and tear and certainly no more than could be fixed with a moderate amount of remedial work. How can the developers justify using two huge breakwaters to protect the promenade from such relatively minor damage?

18. Where is the money coming from to pay for this?

And now for the sixty four thousand dollar question:

20. Could the developers of Penlee Quarry proceed with their hair-brained scheme for a marina without finding a gullible enough recipient to take the excess stone off their hands? A quantity of stone that we are told is in the region of two million tons! What would they possibly do with it otherwise one wonders?

If any reader can answer that question they can win tonight’s star prize: An all-weather trip for two to the Isles Of Scilly on the new Scillonian IV.

Ends

(whoops! - we missed No.15)

StopTheMarina! Press Release 7. Monday 9th January 2006

Stop The Marina! will launch their massive new website on Thursday 12th January 2006 at Midday.

When launched, the new website will retain the original URL which is:

www.stopthemarina.co.uk Print this address only.

We have spent the last six months consolidating our research and have reached the following disturbing conclusions:

1. “The Newlyn and Penzance regeneration schemes are completely interlinked and were primarily created to use the unwanted stone that must be removed from Penlee Quarry to enable a marina to be built. The Tail Has Been Wagging The Dog!” said Adam Whaley.

2. The unsolvable Traffic Issues are being swept under the carpet; knowingly, and deliberately. The public consultations and ‘planning for real workshops’ have been a farce.

3. MDL (Marina Developers Ltd) are fighting the construction of a second lifting bridge in Poole Harbour as it will inconvenience the boats going to and from MDL’s Cobb’s Quay Marina. The new bridge is to be built to alleviate the massive traffic tailbacks that form when the original lifting bridge raises to allow boats to pass! This is hypocrisy of the worst kind.

4. The jobs creation issue is largely untrue and is being dangled as a carrot. Jobs will be lost as well as gained. The new owners of Port Penlee property will be competing for jobs. Jim McKenna (Chief Executive of Penwith District Council) has stated (and witnessed by seven members of Stop The Marina!) that 95% of Port Penlee properties will be bought by cash buyers coming from outside Cornwall!

5. We note that work has already started on the cycleway below Penlee Quarry but we also note that it is being upgraded to take heavy lorries. Lorries that, by the developers’ admission, will transport massive quantities of stone from the quarry to the Sandy Cove scheme rendering the cycleway unusable for the duration. Fact: “The one million tonnes of stone needed to be removed from the south side of the quarry to create the sites for the housing equate to three or four trips per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – an entire year or even two of mess and noise. And that is just one small part of the construction that will all be going on everywhere all at once” said Adam.

N.B. Please refer to our mission statement at the bottom of the Home Page

Stop The Marina! will also oppose the Sandy Cove development due to the same problems as Port Penlee – The road system is woefully inadequate to cope with the increased rate of traffic.

Stop the Marina! will continue to oppose the construction of a new fish-processing industrial estate at Newlyn Coombe or at any other location.

We are planning a major offensive for the moment when any planning application is made. We are ready.

Quote: “For the past six months, we may have been busy behind the scenes gathering a massive amount of information. This information will prove that the developers’ hype is exactly that, and this new website will prove it” said Adam Whaley, one of the three founder members of Stop The Marina!

MDL and others have consistently said that ‘if we don’t get a marina, we’ll get a working quarry again’, “this is completely untrue and the info on our website proves it” said Caroline Astin, spokesperson. “Worse still, they are ruining the potential to create a nature reserve. Nature reserves have been successfully established in dozens of redundant quarries all over the UK, they give enormous benefits to the communities in many ways. All the developers are interested in is profit, it’s not about jobs or affordable housing  at all”.

“We are not Luddites, we just don’t want our area ruined for the sake of a few rich people’s profits” said Sybil Collins, representative for Mousehole.

ends.

photo attached: ‘Work starts on the new cycleway beneath Penlee Quarry.
contact:
Adam Whaley 01736 364554  piltdownman@tiscali.co.uk
Caroline Astin 01736 331086  carolineastin@hotmail.com

StopTheMarina! Press Release 8.
Monday 3rd April 2006