Are there any alternatives to a marina?

by Caroline Astin

See also: Quarrying, Environment , FAQs and Green issues

When I asked Marina Developments Limited (MDL)’s geological consultant, Professor Geoffrey Walton of Leeds University, whether they were considering any alternative use of the quarry his reply was an emphatic “no, no and no.”

Why he was so emphatic is not immediately apparent, indeed it looks rather suspicious.  The development scheme might still be refused planning for one of many reasons, and it seems improvident to have no contingency plan.  A quick search on the internet reveals a multitude of alternative uses of disused quarries, some of which are business ventures and some which give or restore non-commercial benefits to the area, such as providing habitat for rare species.  I suspect that what Professor Walton meant was “I am giving this scheme my full backing and, like the rest of the developers, I am not prepared to consider any alternative.’  The only variation on this theme came from Edward Iliffe who, in response to the same question has replied that if anyone can come up with a scheme that will make as much money as the proposed development, it might be considered.  He then reminded us that Hanson still have the mineral rights to the quarry and if the marina doesn’t go ahead, they can continue to mine stone till 2042.  This point is inevitably wheeled out by the developers in response to any suggestion that the marina might not be a good idea: “Watch out – or you’ll get something worse!” (See Quarrying for reasons why the ‘reversion to quarry’ threat is a hollow one).

At various public exhibitions MDL have mentioned the huge costs of making the quarry site safe, and even cite this as a reason why it has to continue to earn money.  I’m still looking for evidence but it’s my belief that if you run something as a business then you should also be responsible for that business’s by-products and after-effects – and be prepared to pay the inevitable price once that business is no longer viable.  So this doesn’t wash with me as a reason why the quarry should have to be put to a business use. 

In several senses, the quarry belongs to everyone who lives in this area.  Yes, the land is privately owned. But the impact of a possible marina and large housing development on Mount’s Bay and beyond will be felt by all of us, moreover our rights are recognised in law – and if we aren’t happy with the idea of this development – we should be prepared to say so.

I don’t necessarily think it is up to us to find a valid alternative.  It is our job - if we don’t want it - to stop the marina, or any other inappropriate development from happening.  We don’t have the resources to properly research alternative uses. In fact I believe this should be the responsibility of the quarry owners, and that they should do this in consultation with local inhabitants. However there is no harm in trying to get ahead of the game by coming up with some ideas…

The first and biggest problem we come up against is that of traffic.  The most likely reason for the marina not getting planning permission will be the traffic problems.  Any development that is designed as an attraction will potentially generate a lot of traffic and will therefore fail for the same reason, and if we suggest anything that will generate lots of traffic we will look a bit silly.  This also prevents virtually all commercial development, except on a very modest scale.  The quarry is served by one small road, which also connects Mousehole and Newlyn.  (There is a tiny road at the back which I am sorry to mention at all…)  Some might be prepared to pay the price of additional traffic for the sake of an interesting development – but think of the roads around the Eden Project in summer, and then transfer that volume of traffic to Newlyn…

Of course we could just leave it alone – it would even be an interesting experiment to see what unaided nature would come up with.  After a period of time it would start to look as it did before MDL gambled two million pounds on rearranging rock, removing vegetation etc. Some people would be happy with this as an alternative.  Others have come up with a whole range of alternative options that include:

• A Heritage Centre
• A Dry Ski Slope
• An Outdoor Activity Centre, including diving and rock climbing
• A High-level Restaurant with views across Mount’s Bay
• A Funicular Railway
• A Picnic Area with viewing platforms
• A Specialist Garden
• A Mini-biome
• A Learning Centre
  
• An Eco Village
• A Giant Composting Facility
• A Landfill Site (suggested/threatened by both Edward Iliffe and Tony Jarman)
• A film set and studios
  
• A Specialist Research Centre
• A High-Security Prison (!)
• A Diving Centre (Freshwater and Marine)

We need to bear in mind that a part of the quarry will always be inaccessible. This is the site of the SSSI, a seam of minerals running through the quarry that is exposed and cannot be touched.  On one side the rock around this is unstable.  There is also a cliff at the back where peregrine falcons and ravens still nest.  This is also unstable and it would be impractical to do anything with it, also these are protected species.

Wainwright's Reclaimed Quarry in The Mendips 

Personally, I would like to see the quarry become a nature reserve; perhaps with the incorporation of a picnic site and viewing platforms for birdwatchers. It is a stunning site and unique in this part of the country.  There is a lot of precedent for this kind of after-use and a lot of arguments in its favour. Quarries can be microclimates, and the quarrying process can create unusual habitats where unusual species can thrive.  Another possibility is that they can be used specifically as a haven for a rare species if appropriate.  A recent article in the Western Morning News was all about De Lank quarry on the edge of Bodmin moor which is being turned into a haven for a rare butterfly, the pearl bordered fritillary. 

From ‘The conservation value of abandoned pits and quarries  in Cornwall ’:  download as PDF (1.34mb) click here

‘Derelict pits and quarries are largely an unrecognised resource for nature conservation in Cornwall.  Natural colonisation by plants and animals has followed the abandonment of these sites often leading to the presence of rare or locally important species. [they may be important because they contain] refuges of habitats formerly common in the surrounding agricultural landscape open exposures with early success ional stage plants and animals standing water buffered from the surrounding landscape key species such as birds, bats, mosses, liverworts and dragonflies’

"The future of Penlee Quarry should be based around allowing the local community to reclaim ownership through the establishment of a local nature reserve. The local residents are very interested in the wildlife value that the quarry provides and would welcome the opportunity to become more actively involved in how it is managed." (from Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s press release, 2003)

For me, the main argument in favour of this use is that it would preserve the peace of Mount’s Bay; something that is beyond price and once gone, would be gone for good.

Comments?  Questions?  Please send us an email with your views

Caroline Astin

December 2005

A Diving Centre at Penlee?

Stoney Cove Diving Centre, West Midlands

Several of our members who are keen divers have suggested the quarry be turned into a diving centre – both freshwater and marine. On the face of it, this scheme has much merit: little by way of extra road traffic generated, no ugly buildings to spoil the coastline; no additional strain on our infrastructure and a wildlife/nature reserve could also easily be incorporated into the scheme. Our attention has been drawn to the incredibly successful Stoney Cove in The Midlands. However, there is a large question mark hanging over the viability of such a scheme: that the lake water within the quarry is devoid of all aquatic life! In the words of Prof. Geoffrey Walton, MDL’s consultant geologist: “it’s dead”! We have speculated on why this might be so? Under normal conditions, the lake would be teeming with life after having been left undisturbed for so long and there are several precedents of disused quarries naturally reverting to a wonderland of aquatic and land-based wildlife. The most obvious conclusion is that the composition of the water is unable to support life and this may well be because of the concentrated suspension of toxic chemicals such as arsenic, cadmium and zinc within the water. We have also been informed by Dr Terry Cotton, a consultant mining geologist, that the pH of the quarry water is extremely acidic. We will await with great interest, the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment that will have to accompany any planning application.

The lake within Penlee Quarry is about 80ft in depth and it can safely be assumed that there has been a build up of sediment over a great many number of years. The surface outflow of rainwater run-off into the lake is via an adit that crosses underneath the Mousehole to Newlyn Road. This adit is approximately 15ft above the Mean High Water mark and discharges into the sea via a natural channel in the rocks near Roskilly beach.

You can clearly see the concentration of arsenic and copper in the sediments surrounding Penlee Quarry and Sandy Cove from the survery of the area by Hyder Consultants. The reason Sandy Cove has such a high concentration is due to large amounts of Penlee  stone being dumped there over many years when Penlee was a workling quarry (see Quarrying). Referring to the above Hyder report: we would strongly suspect the discharge of copper and arsenic in the sea near the outflow of Newlyn Coombe as being from the Penlee armourstone blocks that are used as flood defences near the harbour wall  and NOT from natural run-off from Newlyn Coombe river as Hyder contend!

HAREHOPE QUARRY PROJECT

Environmental Education in the North Pennines

click image to enlarge

N.B. It may be of interest to the reader to learn that David Jarvis Associate's  Professor Geoffrey Walton (MDL’s geological consultant), is very interested in looking at uses for quarries after they have outlived their useful lives. He has a company specifically created for that purpose and is receiving a lot of public grant funding from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for coming up with some money-making ideas for them. Professor Walton's company QuarryAfterUse will be publishing a report detailing ways of adapting working quarries to have an end-use in mind and to conduct their activities accordingly. Port Penlee is to be a guinea pig project to see if the scheme is workable. We would wager the remit is towards development rather than nature conservation.

To give you an idea of his visionary approach to redundant quarries here are the artist's impressions he has in mind for Port Penlee, taken from the ODPM's samp news 05 - see page 9 (warning, large PDF file 1.62mb - but worth it for the shock value alone).

You would be forgiven for thinking that these artist’s impressions were taken from the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark - in other words, utterly inappropriate for Mount's Bay.

Are there are any alternative sites for a marina?

Yes – several:

Newlyn Harbour has the potential to integrate a marina and may well be able to host a limited number of pontoon berths within in the harbour regeneration scheme. However, there may be some conflict of interest with fishing boats and some areas of the harbour may require dredging for keel clearance. This may well present difficulties due to the build-up of toxic residue from the anti-fouling contaminants from the hulls of countless fishing boats that have built up over the years?

Although there are many problems relating to traffic and poor access, Sandy Cove could present an opportunity to site a marina as long as it is on a small scale. This could be feasible by constructing a moderate-sized new harbour arm from the South Pier.

The ideal site for a marina would be Penzance Harbour. For a start, they actually want one there! There is also an established yacht club, good road and rail access and ample parking. The biggest problem in instigating a Penzance Marina scheme is that there is little or no potential to build a load of posh houses – That where all the profit lies and that’s why there is no marina in Penzance. click here to read The Cornishman article on a potential marina in Penzance.

Work is about to commence on the large scale redevelopment of Hayle. Although this development may well have many similar problems to those inherent in the Newlyn and Penzance schemes, there will be good grounds to incoporate a marina as part of the extensive harbour development. However, the problem for sailors from the South Coast and beyond, is that it would require navigating around Land’s End’s treacherous waters to get there. This is therefore restricted to only the most experienced yachtsmen, usually in large yachts. It would therefore be of little use to the ‘day sailor’ from Falmouth for instance.

'The Assessment of the Potential Contribution of Marinas & Watersports to Increasing Prosperity in Cornwall' - a report by Ove & Partners for Cornwall Enterprise 2001

click here to download the above report (3.09mb). Note page 103 reprinted below, note especially the sections we have highlighted in bold::

After giving the Manacles a wide berth rounding the Lizard is often regarded as an achievement for the inexperienced yachtsmen. To the north of the Lizard is Mounts Bay and further west the Isles of Scilly. Mounts Bay itself acts as a further smaller cruising area although presently with limited shore-side facilities.  Within the bay, Penzance is the most serious contender for the provision of a commercial marina.  It is the most westerly of a series of stop off points on the south coast and the gateway to the Isles of Scilly. The approaches to the harbour are straightforward and sheltered in all but southeasterly gales. Road and rail links to Penzance are also better than many of the other ports and harbours within the bay. The wet dock at Penzance is a traditional stopping off point for visiting yachtsmen but at present the facilities are relatively spartan. There is a proposal, as part of the Penzance Harbour and Town Regeneration Action Plan63, to redevelop the harbour and to provide a purpose-built marina.  Moving further west Newlyn is  currently a fishing port but there are plans to diversify into the leisure boating market.  Several of the commercial marina operators have also reviewed the potential of the  Penlee Quarry  site near Mousehole  but have not progressed the idea due to access problems and fact that extant mineral rights still exist .

The Isles of Scilly have some deep-water buoys for visitors at St Mary’s and Tresco.  The majority of craft tie up offshore and pay for anchorage. The Scillies are often described in sailing pilots as a challenging cruising area and in this context are often recommended for experienced yachtsmen. The  Scillies is the primary destination for overseas yachtsmen in Cornwall with approximately 1800 foreign yachts visiting the Isles during 2000.

The north coast of Cornwall is often regarded as a demanding coastline for inexperienced yachtsmen. Big swells, difficult approaches to many of the harbours and the limited amount of public slipways for day sailing means that this stretch of coast   presently focuses on more localised watersport markets, such as gig-boat racing, diving and surfing.