Open letter from P. Williams, 33 Clifton Terrace, Hayle, TR27 4BP, ctafd@hotmail.com regarding the ING housing development behind Clifton Terrace.

02 Feb 2006

10 Mar 2006

Email from Hayle Resident - ING, Toilets

Response from PDC

01 Feb 2006

16 Mar 2006

Request for additional dog bins on the Towans

Dog bin installed

Question regarding potential tenants at Bodriggy Villas

A nearby resident called to ask if it was true that the new construction at Bodriggy Villas would be used to provide accommodation for 'problem' tenants transitioningto 'normal' accommodation.  PDC housing officers confirmed unequivocally that the housing has been allocated to families with children who will be using the adjacent SureStart facilities. This is confirmed in writing and they already have sufficient applicants in that category to fill the housing.

Dissatisfaction with the handling of complaints toPenwith District Council

Dear Councillor

I reside at Canon's Town, in Hayle, having done so since September 1997. Prior to this address I was resident in Lancashire and various area's in Australia.   I have lived under various councils for quite long periods of time. I have never experienced any problems with any council at any time prior to coming to reside in Penwith, Cornwall.   After purchasing our home in Canon's Town we were forced to apply for Council Tax benefits. This is something that we had never experienced in our lifetime. This was due to our reduced income due to poor health. This is not something we chose to do but had it forced upon us due to our circumstances.   From the onset of our claim we have encountered obstruction. obsession and intrusion into our affairs by the Council. From people contracted to the Council. From agencies employed or contacted by the Council to look into our affairs. One senior officer that was employed by the Council admitted to me that she set up an entrapment situation to have me barred by the Council! These are not lies, I can name the very people concerned.   What was all this about? It was about us claiming something that we were perfectly entitled to. It was something that would not have cost the Penwith District Council one penny! In fact had Penwith District Council acted with a modicum of decency all the ensuing problems we have endured, their problems, with us, could well have been kept to the very minimum and even saved money. Instead Penwith District Council chose the obstructive road and caused a great deal of angst in doing so!   Of recent times, someone has deliberately decided that we are to be excommunicated in our dealings with Penwith District Council! I have letters that have gone unanswered. I have a complaint outstanding regarding those actions. Telephone calls that I make are not returned as promised. Planning objections were not acknowledged.    Now, let me say I can understand your scepticism's, you thinking that this cannot be happening? I recently attended the Parish Council regarding a planning issue. I explained to them that I had contacted Penwith but had received no reply! This comment brought forth mirthful expressive comment that they 'have had the same problems also. Other speakers at the Parish Council who spoke of 'inaction regarding enforcement issues by Penwith regarding Rosevidney, also had the same problems with the Penwith Council! Coincidence? I think not!   The problems I have brought to you are but few! There must be many more that are swept under the proverbial carpet and never surface due to the hideous situation that exists at the Council. There needs to be somewhere or someone that people can contact other than the officers, who in my opinion, are mostly at the root of the problem! Why not an independent body to investigate. I am sick and tired of being told by officers to 'Go to the Ombudsman if you don't like it," it is a trite expression. The officer knows too well that the Ombudsman does not come to investigate. The Ombudsman contacts the Council, is given the Council side of the affair and in general accepts their story! How do I know? It came from the mouth of the Ombudsman office! I can guarantee that a complainant will only tread that pathway once!    Councillor's are there, in my humble opinion, first and foremost to represent the people that elected them? From my experience to date it would seem to me, that we the electorate are generally an inconvenience to be ignored by all and sundry. I know it is a generalisation, but that is how we feel. Do we ever see a councillor? Twice in nine years! Or one may get a fleeing glance around election time! Yes, I did mean fleeing!   If you take the time to read this note I will be grateful for your time. Do something. Anything is better than what we have got now!

My Response:

I am sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with your treatment by the Council and I have copied this to the responsible officers in the expectation of a full briefing on the issue.

Councillors have recently received an interim report entitled Best Value Performance Indicator Surveys 2006/07, General Survey conducted by PFA Research and based on a survey of 2,500 households.    On page 74 of this report Section 4.10 deals with 'Making a Complaint.'

The first questions asks "Have you contacted PDC with a complaint in the last 12 months?"
Surprisingly, 86% of the sample had done so.

The second question was "How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way in which your complaint(s) was (were) handled?"

The results were (with 2003/4 in parentheses):
Very Satisfied 11% (13%)
Fairly Satisfied 16% (23%)
Neither 13% (11%)
Fairly Dissatisfied 23% (24%)
Very Dissatisfied 37% (30%)

I think other Councillors will agree with me that 60% of complaints resulting in people feeling either "very or fairly dissatisfied" is totally unacceptable, especially as the trend is up.

Based on your detailed comments, and on the report, it is clear that something drastic needs to be done to the complaints system.

I am sure other councillors will join me in dealing with the issue of general dissatisfaction when it comes before them.
And I hope we are able to deal satisfactorily with your personal complaints.

Recycling - Does the Council really recycle?

Question from constituent: 

"I would be obliged if you could clear up the following points for me. Rather worryingly I have heard from various sources recently that the materials that go into our recycling boxes are not in fact recycled but go into the landfill at St. Day. Could you tell me what exactly does happen to these materials?"

Response from Mike Toms at PDC:

Thank you for your email expressing your concerns about rumours suggesting that our recyclables go to landfill. Such rumours are as you say worrying and extremely annoying because they undo the hard work invested in encouraging people to recycle!

Less than 1% of our recyclables goes to landfill, and that is only because these materials are contaminated and therefore not recyclable. This somtimes occurs when, for example, people do not rinse their cans out and the contents runs out and contaminates paper.

The other 99%+ DOES NOT go to any landfill site but instead is treated as follows:-

The vast majority of recyclables from our kerbside collections and recycling banks are delivered to the Materials Recycling Facility at Poole near Camborne for sorting and baling for onwards transportation as follows:-

1. Newspapers & magazines are sent to Aylesford Newsprint in Kent and will probably be back in newsagents etc within a week to 10 days.
Card, cardboard and mixed paper goes to Aylesford to be made back into packaging.

2. Steel cans go to South Wales to be eventually used for making cars, planes, cookers etc. Aluminium cans and goes to the same place and is used to make more drinks cans.

3. Plastic bottles are sent to Yorkshire and are later used to make insulation for quilts, coats, sleeping bags etc. Also, wheeled bins, composters, plastic garden furniture & fencing and your recycling box! Another interesting fact is that the pedestrian kerbstones on the 2002 Tamar Bridge widening scheme are made from recycled plastic milk bottles!!

4. Glass seperated into the different colours goes to a different contractor at Poole and he transports it to Berrymans in Yorkshire for making back into bottles. Some mixed glass has been used for the base coat for road surfacing in Cornwall.

5. Textiles, books and audio CDs etc are collected by Oxfam or the Salvation Army and goes to charity shops for sale, or abroad to third-world countries. As many unwanted books as possible are recycled. This is a small proportion of the recycling waste stream where disposal is probably a little higher, approximately 5%.

6. Garden waste and corrugated cardboard goes to a farm at St Erth for composting.

I've probably just scratched the surface because there is a lot going on in the recycling world. The sorting and baling operation at Poole near Camborne, and another at Bodmin is big and costly. Both these plants are the size of an aeroplane hanger. The plant at Bodmin has a visitor centre so the public can see for themselves what goes on, and we would not go to all this trouble if we were just going to landfill it!

I hope I have convinced you that we are very serious about recycling in Cornwall, and I would like to thank you for asking instead of just accepting the rumour as true! I would be interested in knowing the source of  these rumours so I can convince them that they are wrong and stop them from doing anymore damage.

Regards
Mike Toms
Refuse/Recycling Manager.

Reinstall estate boundary marker

This granite post maked the boundary between Penpol and Trelissick estates and was moved during road construction.

Harvey's Foundry Trust Artefacts Group asked me to contact PDC with a view to having it reinstalled - partly to avoid it being stolen.

ACTION: Arthur Roberts head of Operational and Technical Services at PDC viewed the stone on December 13th and agreed that his work team would do the reinstallion under the supervision of Brian Sullivan, Hayle historical expert.

Drains and flooding issue behind Chapel Street

To enable the construction of Ellis Court a road was constructed behind the houses on Chapel Street.  There is a steep slope down from Ellis Court to the rear gardens and the drains are covered with leaves and never cleared.

ACTION: Email sent to Arthur Roberts head of Operational and Technical Services at PDC:

I seem to have lots of issues for you lately!
This one relates to a very high risk of flooding for the properties around 16 Chapel Terrace (Green Buildings) due to the steep slope down (Blue Arrow)  from John Ellis Court (Red Building).  Before the construction of John Ellis Court there was no road to the rear of the properties and there was better absorption of the run-off during heavy rain.  Following the construction, the rain water now runs into the road (Yellow) and then into the drains (marked with X's).

The problem is that the drains are receiving no maintenance and become blocked with leaves and mud.  This is where the flooding risk occurs.  The photograph shows the northernmost drain covered in leaves.  Without free-flowing drains there is a 1 in 6 slope down to the properties and no where for the water to go but through the houses.

The owner of one of the properties managed to get the drains cleared two years ago after a run around with County and ending up at District.  When the drains were cleared she was advised that they should be checked monthly and that they would be.  Nothing has been done for two years.

Can you please:
1.  Confirm that this comes under your purview.  It is unclear whether the road is adopted - it is unnamed.
2.  Are you able to arrange for a drain cleaning?
3.  Can you add this to a work list for regular follow up?

Arthur and I visited the site on 13 December.  Arthur is now following up to see who owns the road so that a permanent solution to this problem can be found.

Street lights on Black Road

The street lights on the Black Road have been out of order for many months.

ACTION: Sent to Arthur Roberts head of Operational and Technical Services at PDC:

At last week's Hayle Town Council meeting it was again reported that street lights are out on the Black Road in Hayle.  I understand that, while most street lights are managed by County, those that are identified by letters after a number are the responsibility of PDC.

The two lamp posts are:  091AB and 092AB.

Could you please advise me as soon as possible:

1. Is PDC responsible for these lights?
2. Does this come under your remit?
3. When can these lights be repaired?

Apparently, these lights have been out for a long time and have been repeatedly reported.

The PDC contractor tried to get to the lights but was prevented by the boulders.  Email from PDC to County:

Hi Toby,
Tried numerous times to contact you by phone so now trying email!
I have been given your name as I believe you were involved in placing large boulders positioned across Black road, Hayle!  Our contractors (SEC) have been issued an order to carry out repairs to two street lights but due to the obstruction, have been unable to carry out the works.
Could you please contact me to discuss access.

The saga continues...

Flood risk following road works in Lower Church Street

The road surface was raised during resurfacing and is now only 1" below the curb.  During heavy rain the water enters the lane and causes flooding.

ACTION:  With the help of County Councillor Terry Lello, I contacted the county authorities and remediation work commenced on 30 October.

Construction of a wall at Treveglos

The wall is unneighbourly but probably legal.  Normal rules are that a wall less than 2m in height does not need planning permission. 

ACTION:  I have referred the case to PDC planning who are investigating whether a restriction against building walls was placed on the land when sold by PDC.

Unfortunately, they determined that the wall was within specifications.

Playgrounds at Ellis Park and Pathway Fields

Following the commencement of work at Ellis Park to construct a bowling green, nearby residents expressed their concern at the loss of play area for local youngsters.  Also the the playground area at Ellis Park had been dismantled about two years earlier and no replacement had been supplied.

After consultations with Hayle Town Council and Penwith District Council it was agreed that:

• Five-a-side football nets would be installed on the remainder of the field after the bowling green construction was completed.  The field would also be marked out as a pitch.
• Assistance would be given in setting up a Residents' Association to act as a focal point for local improvements.
• Assistance would be given by PDC in getting funding for a new playground in Ellis Park and the local residents will select the playground items they would like to be installed.
• A play area for toddlers will be installed at Pathway Fields and PDC will assist in getting the funding for this.
• If possible, funds for lighting the parks will be sought.

Playground at Water Lane

At the request of local residents a search for a play area off of Water Lane was started.  At present there is no local green space for children to play in without travelling to either Ellis Park or further afield.

A piece of land has been identified and PDC are investigating the ownership with a view to purchasing and making a play area. The area is marked in blue on the map.

The following file give details of the attempts to get the Swing Bridge painted and repaired.

SwingBridge.pdf (227kb)

I live in Caroline row,  Hayle. I would like to bring up the issue of traffic which comes down the hill and up very fast. There is no pavement and there is a risk of  a nasty accident because of speed. There are many children who live on and around Caroline Row.  I feel there should be some sort of speed restriction or notice warning of children playing. I have two children and am worried that a serious accident could easily happen as cars often speed up and down the hill.      

Another issue is in the local recreation ground. There are often teenagers drinking alcohol around the tennis courts. This must be an alcohol free zone. This is anti social behaviour  plus under-age drinking, and puts off children who want to legitimately play with their   friends in the park. There needs to be some sort of Authority present in the park to prevent inappropriate activities from happening.   

From : John Bennett

1.  Caroline Row
I will ask the Town Clerk to put this issue before the Council at the next meeting.  The Council will then consider the issue and will probably wish to write to PDC and Cornwall County Council about it.  We are very concerned about safety issues.  We will get back to you as soon as possible.
2.  Recreation Ground
We are always pressing for more police resources but face an uphill battle.  On the Town Council web site (www.hayletowncouncil.net) you will find direct phone numbers for our local police, and you should use these immediately whenever a problem is present (999 for emergencies, of course).  I have copied the numbers below.  Again, I will ask the Clerk to bring this to the next full meeting of the Council.  Also note the meeting with the police on 8 March (poster below).  This would give you and opportunity of asking some questions directly.
Incidentally,  the Council meetings are open to the public and start with a public participation period where issues such as these can be raised.  The next meeting is at Passmore Edwards Institute on Thursday, 2 March at 7:15 pm.

Eur. Ing. John Bennett, CEng, FIEE, SMIEEE
Councillor for Hayle South Ward, Penwith District Council and Hayle Town Council
Chy Mor, 18 Riviere Towans, Hayle, TR27 5AF.  01736-753184. 07876-152915.
john.bennett@penwith.gov.uk   www.chymor.com

Local Police Contact Numbers

Recently the decision was made that our local police would no longer carry cell phones.  Thanks to a joint local organisation initiative, five new phones have been purchased and issued to our local police personnel. 

These numbers are for non-urgent, direct contact with your local officer. In an emergency, please use 999

Team Sergeant Dobson 07786 865108

Hayle North Beat Manager, WPC Williams 07766 624774

Gwinear, Gwithian, Hayle East, PC Rowland 07765 303013

Hayle South Beat Manager, (Temp, Vacant) 07766 128879

St Erth, St Hilary, Goldsithney, WPC Mars 07760 102542

ACTION:

I sent an email to Neil Clark, project officer for the Hayle Skate Park, to see if there would be a possibility of adding the BMX track to the Skate Park.

I asked Kate at Hayle Cycle for more details of the required specification.

Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2006 22:30:50 +0000

From: John Bennett

To: nclark@penwith.gov.uk

Subject: Hayle Skate Park

Neil: It is a bit late to ask, but I will anyway...

There has been discussion recently about resurrecting the BMX bike track that used to exist at St. Erth. Is there any chance that a track could be constructed adjacent to the Skate Park in Hayle?

Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 14:26:23 +0000

From: John Bennett

To: haylecycles@postmaster.co.uk

Subject: Re: BMX Bike Track

I spoke with Neil Clark of PDC yesterday. He is the project officer for the skate park. He said that there was not enough money to put in a BMX track as part of the skate park project - and possibly some technical problems. They had a great deal of difficulty with handling a 1 in 200 year tide surge issue raised by the Environment Agency for the skate park. However, Neil did say that he thought the St. Erth track was being resurrected. I'll keep checking.

ACTION:

I sent an email to David Rutherford, the Sustainable Tourism Officer, and responsible for the visit-westcornwall.com web site, asking what had happened to Hayle? He phoned me almost immediately to let me know that the site is far from complete and was put out in its current form so that they could meet deadlines for printing materials (not just in Penwith, but elsewhere in the region).
He told me that a lot of work is ongoing and that in the next month or so, Hayle will take its rightful place. If you look more closely at the site, you will see that there is not much under Penzance either.
It promises to be an exciting resource, so let's give it a bit more time.

Open letter from P. Williams, 33 Clifton Terrace, Hayle, TR27 4BP, ctafd@hotmail.com

Don't Wait for the Bulldozers

As representatives of 'Clifton Terrace Against Farmland Development', we hereby give notice that we strongly object to the proposed greenfield development at the rear of Clifton Terrace on Riviere Farmland.

We would welcome other Hayle residents views on the loss of this valuable resource.

Please contact us at the above address or by email, preferably by the 21st February 2006.

Written on behalf of 'Clifton Terrace Against Farmland Development'.

ACTION:

I have already expressed my concern regarding building on farmland, which I do not believe follows the guidance given in PPG3 (http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1143926).  PPG3 encourages the building of housing on areas formerly used as industrial land that is no longer required for that purpose.  It discourages the use of greenfield sites - although it does allow the construction of affordable housing there. Clearly, the land behind Clifton Terrace is not industrial land - and there is plenty of that within the harbour area.

That said, as a Penwith District Councillor, who occasionally sits on the Planning Committee, I do not want to prejudice my position before seeing the actual plans submitted to the Council. If I do, I will be unable to vote on those plans.

Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:55:53

From: John Bennett

To: ctafd@hotmail.com

Subject: Clifton Terrace - Further thoughts

Penny:

You can now access the Penwith Local Plan on line at http://www.penwith.gov.uk/local_plan_penwith/

I have been looking at 4.2 Plan Objectives and you may find that the proposed development is dissonant with a number of these. You may want to look closely at policy TV2 relating to open area around Phillack which seems to apply directly to the land in question. I think you will find lots to research in this document.

John Bennett

ACTION:

Reported to Arthur Roberts, Head of Operational Services, PDC.  The response was:

"I don't ever remember that being a problem area but will have it looked at and change the cleaning patterns for that area immediately."

I also asked Mr. Roberts to look at providing more dog bins in the Riviere Towans area.  His response was:

"Thanks for your comments regards Phillack.  I will look at the installation of a bin urgently."

Mr. Roberts's team was responsible for the excellent work done at Phillack Church in cleaning the two closed graveyards.  I complimented him on this effort.

ACTION:

I am actively following the Marks and Spencer application and I am strongly in favour.

I have noted the comments about the hall - which is sorely needed.

The Black Road is also under review.  I, personally, have enjoyed having it closed to traffic but I agree that some sympathetic resurfacing is needed.

Having waited for 70 years, mainly in silence, for Hayle's regeneration here are my three key considerations arising from ING's plans.  

1).ING must ,at all cost be made to sort out the harbour infrastructure before a single house is built. Penwith caved in to Lidl over the Loggans Mill building and we now see the probable loss of a building of much greater quality than the Harvey buildings being restored at Foundry.(And I am not a believer in saving every single trace of posterity)  

2).Far too many houses in phase one. Having taken a profit after phase one, ING will probably sell on to another developer who will apply massive pressure on Penwith to develop more land with more housing ETC.  

3).Penwith/CCC/Services must provide adequate services to come on stream in parallel with the development, not years after (c.f. Fal mouth.)This includes schools,healthcare,Roads and toilets that stay open.  

PS.Last Sunday was a fine day when 15 cars full of sportspersons parked by the harbour slipway to enjoy their sport. Hundreds of others walked along the quays and to the beach.Yet more enjoyed the gentler stroll along the memorial walk. Have a guess where was  the nearest open toilet- and it's is normally similar all summer long.

ACTION:

Item 1) is asking a lot, but it must be done early in the programme.

On item 2) I have already expressed my concern that all of the houses are to be built in phases 1 and 2 but most of the exciting elements that will benefit Hayle could take up to 10 years to build.

PDC are already allocating a budget to cover infrastructure but this is an area that must be monitored.

I have passed on the comment regarding the lack of public toilets to Hayle Town Council and I will follow up.

The following discouraging response was received from PDC:

Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006

From: John Bennett

To: arthur.roberts@penwith.gov.uk

Subject: Hayle Issues

Mr. Roberts:

1. First of all, let me thank you for the excellent job of cleaning up the graveyards at Phillack. They are now in the best condition that any of us can remember and I have received numerous compliments on the work you have done. Outstanding!

2. I have enclosed a map of the Towans at Hayle. The lower green ellipse shows the location of the single dog waste bin. The upper circle, in front of the new Surf Life Saving HQ, is a suggested new additional location. There are no other bins anywhere for miles north of the existing bin and this leads to a lot of waste being left around. If you could place another one ever further north, that would be great - but there is no easy access for emptying the bins.

3. I have just received a comment from a constituent complaining about the general state of the area around Spar in Foundry. There is a lot of street waste and apparently there have been complaints about the area in the past.

--

John Bennett

The dog bin was installed adjacent to the Surf Life Saving Club on the Towans.

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John Bennett of 18 Riviere Towans, Hayle, TR27 5AF  

© Copyright 2008, John Bennett