Plus ça change …
1 April 2007The editors of the Hayle Pump were cleaning up last week following a move from the upper (leaking roof) floor to the ground floor and handed me a set of Pumps from the early days.
Volume 1, Number 1 is dated December 1994 and I read with some interest the subjects covered 13 years ago. Here are some:
- The harbour: When will the plans be submitted? Why are we not hearing more details of the plans? Will the project go ahead?
- Making the area between Hayle Terrace and the railway station a ‘public amenity area’
- Vandalism caused by the ‘youth of Hayle’ particularly on the recreation ground because they ‘are bored.’
- Struggles to impound water in Copperhouse Pool so that it can be used for recreational purposes. Discussion of dredging to permit watersports.
- BMX bike track on the Rec.
- Problems with Car Parks in Hayle.
- Request for your views on where you would like Hayle to be in the future.
As Yogi Berra is supposed to have said, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” We are still dealing with these same issues today.
When I joined the town council in April 2005, I read through a number of plans that had been submitted over the years addressing a host of issues that would have made the town a better place to live in. They all had one thing in common – the results did not come close to matching the aspirations and, in many case, were a complete failure. I also noted that lots of consultants had been paid to ask us what we wanted and then put that into a report. The vital missing component was the details of how we could fund and implement the recommendations of the report. I resolved to ensure that any new plans that were presented to Hayle would be carefully scrutinised to ensure that the implementation and funding strategy was robust.
The latest plan is the Hayle Area Plan and is the result of the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTi) which was set into motion by the Hayle Area Forum. Many current forum members have been through previous attempts at kick-starting the town and it is a tribute to their persistence that they tried yet one more time.
There are some good reasons this time, however, to be optimistic of success. Why is that? Here are some of my reasons:
- The plan was produced over a couple of years based firstly on a ‘health check’ – a fairly brutal look at the state of the town from a wide range of perspectives – and then on a ‘bottom up’ assessment of what needed to be done produced by lengthy consultation with the town’s residents. The fact that residents had a chance to get involved helps with ‘buy-in’ and support.
- The projects outlined in the Hayle Area Plan are being fleshed out by ‘Delivery Groups’ made up of area residents and are involving far more people than we have seen before – not just the same old faces.
- There will be a paid Hayle Plan Manager who will assist and support the Delivery Groups.
- There is a Hayle Area Plan Management Group made up of town and district councillors representing the area and numerous officers from Penwith District Council and other government agencies. This group does not control the delivery process but enables it. It focuses resources, identifies funding sources and ensures that there is no duplication of effort.
- Some funding has already been identified.
A good plan, a good structure, good support, good management and the whole town united in improving all aspects of our life – this time it will work.Â
The plan and the delivery structure are still evolving but I am confident that we won’t be reading the same old headlines in the Hayle Pump in 2020.
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