Hayle Issues

Listed below are some important issues facing Hayle, and I have indicated my position on these issues.  In some cases I cannot take a position, as under the rules of the Standards Board, I cannot vote at Council on issues on which I have a predetermined position.

Supermarket Consultation

Harbour Dredging and Sand Removal

Hawkins Motors Site - Hayle Terrace

Gypsies and Travellers

Flooding

Mosquitoes

Contamination in Copperhouse Pool and the Estuary

Dog Control Orders

Foundry Square Enhancements

Allotments

Network Rail closes the Hayle Station pedestrian crossing

CCTV System

Spotlight on Hayle in PDC's Shorelines magazine

Hayle Skate Park

East Quay Harbour Wall

Old Brewery Office, Sea Lane

Loggans Mill

First Great Western - Hayle Station Services

Traffic in Hayle

Hospital Services in West Cornwall

Marks and Spencer

This survey and report has been prepared on a voluntary basis by Hayle Residents Association with the full support of Hayle Town Council. A subsidy towards the modest printing costs of the questionnaire was gratefully received from the Hayle Area Plan Partnership.

There currently exists no substantive, up-to-date study detailing the views of the local community and businesses on the issue of further supermarkets in the Hayle context.

In 2007 a study was commissioned jointly by Penwith District Council and Hayle harbour owners ING to establish various retail trends in the region. The Penwith Retail Study has subsequently become an important reference document for developers and planners alike and to the best of our knowledge, the only such document in existence.
The Penwith Retail Study however did not set out to discern the attitude of the community and businesses with respect to more supermarkets in Hayle. It does, via a telephone survey of 67 households, estimate where Hayle’s grocery expenditure is going in terms of locality. The findings of which are currently used to support supermarket development aspirations.

Click here  for a copy of the report.

The Penwith District Council Penwith Retail Study, December 2007 is available here.  Appendices here.

2010 Licence Application

DREDGING LICENSE RENEWAL. HHML has requested a 5-year (with unlimited renewals) licence. This will come before the Hayle Town Council on Thursday, March 4th. If you want to express an opinion on this, make sure you arrive at the meeting by 7-15pm so that you can have your say in the public participation session. You can download a copy of the papers here.  The dredging area has been extended to include Dynamite Quay. Here is the new map.

2008 Licence

Penwith District Council has issued a licence to dredge the Hayle harbour channel.  Click on the map below for a larger version and click here for the text of the licence.

The licence refers to the Coast Protection Act 1949 and to the Penwith District Council St Ives Bay Coast Protection Order 2003. Click on the links for copies of the documents.

Our Hayle-based aerial photographer, Peter Channon, has kindly offered the following shots of the bar.  The lower picture was taken on 27 August 2007, the middle on 7 June 2008 and the upper on 20 July.  It is not hard to see the immense change in the curvature of the entrance to the estuary.  I have seen two small craft grounded recently while attempting to take a straight-in approach.

Hayle Town Council debated the issue of Gypsy and Traveller sites within the Hayle Area Action Plan boundaries on the 21st of February.  The possible sites are H25, H26 and H27, to the south of Water Lane (see map).  These sites are not within the boundaries of Hayle Town Council but fall in the St. Erth Parish.  Hayle Town Council debated the issue because it occurs in the Action Plan and because the sites are very close to Hayle residents.

Following a debate, the following resolutions were passed:

It was resolved to: -

a) inform Penwith District Council that the sites identified in the Hayle Area Action Plan (HAAP) for gypsies and travellers are unsatisfactory and the Council has been unable to find alternatives within the HAAP boundary and considers that it should encompass a broader area and
b) request that the issue of sites for gypsies and travellers be considered separately from the HAAP process and that, when it is debated, all those involved in the process, including the relevant officers from Cornwall County Council and other informed groups and persons, should be involved and to point out that flowing from this process this Council will expect firm evidence to emerge in support of the allocations in Hayle.

It was further resolved that: -

a) discussion of this document be deferred to the Development Committee where it can be considered together with the Penwith Core Strategy which is currently out to consultation,
b) all Councillors should complete the questionnaire before the Development Committee on 28 February 2008 which will be open to all Members and at which will all be permitted to vote and
c) the Committee will set the timetable for future consultation in the town on the issue of gypsies and traveller sites.

Councillors were generally outraged at the way in which this matter had been handled.  Once the issue had been debated and voted on, councillors could talk more freely about their views.  It is a principle of local government that you must not 'fetter your discretion' by taking a position prior to a vote.  If you do, you must not vote on it.

Just before the meeting the following letter was received from PDC:

The Hayle Area Action Plan has identified four primary sites for gypsies and travellers.  These are:

• Water Lane (West) - Site H25
• Water Lane (East) - Site H26
• Water Lane - Mellanear Road - Site H27
• Mellanear Road - A30 (North) - Site H28

These sites were identified in conjunction with Cornwall County Council's Gypsy and Traveller Liaison Officer and Support Worker, Philip Eaton, Tel: 01872 322000.

You can find out details of Cornwall County Council's position on the provision of spaces for gypsies and travellers at:

http://www.southwest-ra.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=3148

The South West Regional Assembly has a page containing: A Review of Additional Pitch Requirements for Gypsies and Travellers in the South West.  This details the requirements for traveller provision in the Regional Spatial Strategy.

What can I do if I am unhappy with the current recommendations or wish to make a comment?

If possible, respond to the questionnaire accompanying the Hayle Area Action Plan.  You do not have to respond to every question - only those you wish to comment on. You may also email, phone or write to me and I will ensure your comments are passed on.

The HeYlp group has produced a report describing the Gypsy and Traveller issue in detail.

You can download a copy.here.

Flooding

Although many people associate Copperhouse Pool with sluicing, it is many years since the gates at the western end of the pool were used for that purpose.  They are now controlled by the Environment Agency with the sole purpose of flood control.  Basically, the gates are left at a small opening (0.6m) which slows the entry of seawater and prevents the pool from filling to the full tidal level.  Even if there is a large storm and rain water floods in from the Angarrack River, the EA models show that there is unlikely to be a flooding event.  Those who have lived on the pool for many years report that there were frequent flooding events over 20 years ago prior to the operation of the flood gates - and that there have been few or none since.

Notwithstanding this, the low lying areas around the Penmare area and LIDLs are marked as flood risk areas due to their low level.  This is an extract from the PDC draft Strategic Flood Risk Assessment relating to the Hayle area:

The higher the Zone number the worse the risk. Note that the areas around Copperhouse Pool show a risk from fluvial (river flow) events, not tidal (due to the flood control in Copperhouse Pool).

The full Strategic Flood Risk Assessment is still in draft stage and will be available here as soon as possible.

The chart below is the result of a LIDAR (light detection and ranging) survey flown in 2003.  It gives the surface level in metres above ordnance datum.  Add 2.5m to ordnance datum to get tide level as given in tide tables.  Hence the areas in orange would flood if the tide level in Copperhouse Pool reached 3.76 + 2.5 = 6.26m (if my calculations are correct).

There has been an increase in complaints about insect bites in recent years - although long-time residents report that they can remember this problem for as long as they have lived in Hayle.  The problem appears to be worse near Wilson's Pool and around the Mill Pond.  The Environment Agency has asked that specimens of the biting insects are captured for identification.

Only the anopheles mosquito carries malaria and sightings of the malaria-carrying subspecies are very rare in Cornwall.

This article has information on the Distribution of Anopheles mosquitoes in the British Isles.

A number of methods to control to mosquitoes in salt marshes (similar to Wilson's Pool) in Florida have been attempted and the most successful has been the use of salt water inundation.

Impoundments (from http://mosquito.ifas.ufl.edu/Source_Reduction.htm)

Impounding has been used extensively along Florida's central east coast for mosquito and sand fly control. The principle is simple; keeping a sheet of water across a salt-marsh substrate prevents Aedes spp. mosquitoes from ovipositing on these otherwise attractive soils. On impounded marsh, mosquito and sand fly control is effectively achieved with a minimum of pesticide use.

Environmental Risks of Impounding

Before the 1970s, mosquito control considerations outweighed natural resource interests. This was due to the urgent need to control the tremendous salt-marsh mosquito broods and partly to the failure to recognize the ecological importance of wetlands. In the 1950s and 60s when impoundment construction occurred, little was known about the importance of high marshes and their role in estuarine productivity. Historically, black and white mangroves, Batis and Salicornia dominated many high marshes that were impounded. These plants cannot sustain continual unregulated flood heights (where the succulent plants or black mangrove pneumatophores are completely inundated). During those early years of impounding, water levels were maintained at depths that in some locations killed virtually all the existing vegetation. This left some impoundments barren of vegetation for many years, except where red mangroves intruded. Also, the earthen dike constructed around the marsh perimeter virtually eliminated the natural movement of water and organisms between the marsh and adjacent estuary. Marsh transients, those organisms that use the high marsh during a portion of their life cycle (e.g., Elops saurus (ladyfish), Centropomus undecimalis (snook), Megalops atlanticus (tarpon), Mugil spp. (mullet)), were excluded from the impounded marshes, primarily during the fall tides experienced on the east coast.

The Environment Agency has agreed to try a small number of inundations of Wilson's Pool at tides of around 6.8m to reduce silting in the area and to see if any reduction in biting insects is achieved.  The first attempt will be on 11 March 2008.

At present, there is no evidence of any elevated risk to health but the situation will be monitored to see if global warming and climate change have any negative effects.

A more detailed white paper on mosquito control has been produced by the State of Florida.  It is 178 pages long but covers the whole range of mosquito control methods.  Download it here.

There are three reports that I am aware of that cover scientific pollution studies of the Hayle Estuary.  They are:

1. Smith, P.R. J. 1989a. Report on Arsenic, Copper and Zinc in Copperhouse Pool and Other Sites in Hayle, Cornwall. Unpublished report for David Bellamy Associates Ltd. (Click here for a searchable pdf)
2. Smith, P.R. J. 1989b. Survey of the Macroinvertebrate Communities at Estuarine sites at Hayle, Cornwall. Unpublished report for David Bellamy Associates Ltd. (Click here for a searchable pdf)
3. Swanson, T. (undated) Implications of Historical Mining on the Geochemistry of Ryan’s Field, Cornwall, UK. Camborne School of Mines.(Click here for a searchable pdf)

For more information on Dr. Smith and his company please visit his web site at www.aquatonics.com

Report on Arsenic, Copper and Zinc in Copperhouse Pool and Other Sites in Hayle, Cornwall

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
From an initial study of metals in the sediments of Copper-house Pool in September 1988 it was decided that arsenic, copper and zinc warranted a detailed investigation. Concern was focused on the arsenic concentrations, not only because
of the high concentrations but also due to potential public misconceptions regarding arsenic.

ARSENIC.
Dissolved arsenic concentrations in the water of Copperhouse Pool range from 3.1 ug/1 at the sluice gates at high water (ie diluted by seawater) to approximately 180 ug/1 (high or low water) in Mill Leat at Black Road Bridge. These compare with an Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) of 25 ug/1 for the protection of saltwater species, and a standard of 500 ug/1 for bathing. The standard for bathing is in terms.of total arsenic ('dissolved' plus particulate), but from the limited data available on particulate arsenic obtained by Southampton University at Hayle, I would expect the maximum total arsenic concentration in Copperhouse Pool to be approximately 195 ug/1 at Black Road Bridge under the conditions at the time of sampling.

All of the 6 water samples from the canal (Angarrack River) in Copperhouse Pool were within the Environmental Quality Standard for protection of saltwater species (25 ug/1); but only 2 of the 6 water samples from the stream through Copperhouse Pool (Mill Leat) were within this standard. Highest arsenic concentrations within Mill Leat occurred during low water, when there was little dilution of the freshwater by seawater. If necessary this problem could probably be solved by preventing the most contaminated water from entering Mill Leat. At this stage it is thought that the main source of arsenic is probably adit mine drainage near Treeve Farm.

From the limited data available on arsenic concentrations in water I would expect Copperhouse Pool to be within the EQS for arsenic in bathing waters. Other sites around Hayle have much lower arsenic concentrations, and are likely to be within the EQS for saltwater species and bathing waters under all naturally occurring conditions. Operations such as dredging may of course mobilise arsenic and other metals from the sediments, resulting in higher concentrations in the water column.

Arsenic concentrations in the sediments of Copperhouse Pool were exceptionally high, ranging from 48 - 3830 ug/g in the 0 -10 cm layer, and 45 - 3400 ug/g in the 50 cm deep layer. There were often considerable differences between the arsenic concentrations in the 0-10 cm layer compared with the 50 cm deep layer, but there was no consistent increase or decrease 'with depth. The mean concentration of the 0-10 cm layer was 893 ug/g, compared with 846 ug/g in the 50 cm deep layer. This suggests that removal of the top 50 cm would produce a new surface with an average arsenic concentration similar to that of the present surface.

The 'action trigger' concentration for arsenic in soils of redevelopment sites has not been determined yet; a decision is expected from the Department of the Environment in spring 1989. It seems likely that the 'action trigger' concentration will be set quite high, possibly several hundred ug/g. Large tracts of Copperhouse Pool may therefore lie within this trigger level, and may not need to be removed. Other areas will almost certainly exceed the. trigger level, and may need removal and/or treatment. The various options will need to be discussed with a consultancy specialising in land restoration and waste disposal/treatment.

It should be noted that many garden soils in and around Hayle contain arsenic concentrations comparable with those of Copperhouse Pool. It also seems probable that the playing fields adjacent to the eastern edge of the saltmarsh contain very high concentrations of arsenic.

Calculations indicate that under the worst possible scenario 5.8 g of sediment would have to be ingested by a child of 2-3 years to give a fatal dose.

Approximately 0.5 g of sediment would have to be ingested daily for periods of several days or more to give chronic arsenic poisoning. This is 5 times greater than the theoretical amount that could be eaten inadvertently by a child through eating dirty sweets, licking fingers etc.

Arsenic concentrations in the sediments at Lelant Water, Carnsew, Penpol Dock and the mouth of the estuary are much lower than those in Copperhouse Pool, and are in the normal range for estuaries in the most mineralised areas of Cornwall and Devon.

Arsenic concentrations in fish and shellfish caught off the coast near Hayle are unlikely to cause any health problems. This is because the sea rapidly dilutes the water from the Hayle estuary to concentrations which are only slightly above background concentrations. In addition, the form of arsenic in fish and shellfish (crabs, lobsters, prawns) is arsenobetaine, which is known to be of low toxicity and readily excreted by man.

COPPER.
Data from the survey by Berridge Environmental Laboratories suggest that copper concentrations in Copperhouse Pool are likely to be above the EQS for protection of saltwater species but below the EQS for bathing and contact. Unfortunately the data were virtually all less than the detection limit of 30 ug/1, so there is no information on the pattern of copper concentrations within Copperhouse Pool. It seems very likely that the highest concentrations in the water will occur at the freshwater end, especially in Mill Leat near Black Bridge at low water.

The low data produced by Berridge's are surprising and could be misleading. I believe that dissolved copper in Copperhouse Pool may be in the range 300 -400 ug/1, but this would need to be confirmed by further analyses. It is also possible that total copper concentrations may be above the EQS for bathing of 500 ug/1.

Copper concentrations in the sediments of Copperhouse Pool were exceptionally high, ranging from 108 - 9315 ug/g in the 0 -10 cm layer, and 30 - 4090 ug/g in the 50 - 150 cm deep layer. There were often considerable differences between the copper concentrations in the 0-10 cm layer compared with the 50 cm deep layer, but there was no consistent increase or decrease with depth. The mean concentration of the 0-10 cm layer was 1260 ug/g, compared with 1170 ug/g in the 50 cm deep layer. This suggests that removal of the top 50 cm would produce a new surface with an average copper concentration similar to that of the present surface.

The maximum concentrations of copper in the sediments of Copperhouse Pool are higher than any other sediments analysed in the UK. However, due to the prompt emetic action of ingested copper it is unlikely that chronic or acute poisoning could occur through ingesting the sediment. The estimated quantity of sediment required to produce a lethal dose due to copper alone is over 300 g, well above the amount that could be ingested deliberately in a single incident.

ZINC.
Data from the survey by Berridge Environmental Laboratories suggest that zinc concentrations in Copperhouse Pool are likely to be within the EQS for protection of saltwater life, and well within the EQS for bathing and contact. Unfortunately the data were all below the detection limit of 30 ug/1, so there is no information on the pattern of zinc concentrations within Copperhouse Pool. It seems probable that the highest concentrations will occur at the freshwater end (Black Road) due to the inputs from the canal (Angarrack) and Mill Leat.

The low data produced by Berridge's are surprising and may be misleading. I believe that dissolved zinc in Copperhouse Pool may be in the range 200 - 300 ug/1; but this would need to be confirmed by further analyses. Even if the data are too low it seems highly likely that concentrations of zinc are below the EQS for bathing of 50,000 ug/1.

Zinc concentrations in the sediments of Copperhouse Pool range from 64 - 2880 ug/1 in the 0 - 10 cm deep layer, and 150 - 3125 ug/g in the 50 - 150 cm deep layer.

There were often considerable differences between the zinc concentrations in the 0-10 cm layer compared with the 50 cm deep layer, but there was no consistent increase or decrease with depth. The mean concentration of the 0-10 cm layer was 1020 ug/g, compared with 1120 ug/g in the 50 cm deep layer. This suggests that removal of the top 50 cm would produce a new surface with an average zinc concentration similar to that of the present surface.

The highest concentrations of zinc are comparable with the most contaminated estuaries (eg Restronguet Creek in Cornwall) and the most contaminated dredge spoils (eg from the Tees estuary).

No data were available to me on the amounts of zinc required to produce chronic or acute poisoning. In view of the high concentrations of zinc in many molluscs and shellfish (eg up to 440 ug/g in mussels and 800 ug/g in whelks on a dry weight
basis) the health risk from zinc in Copperhouse Pool sediments is probably insignificant.

Survey of the Macroinvertebrate Communities at Estuarine sites at Hayle, Cornwall

SUMMARY
The benthic macro-invertebrate fauna at all of the estuarine sites surveyed in Hayle was less diverse than expected. The molluscan fauna was especially restricted, and this is thought to be largely due to metal pollution (copper and zinc) in the waters and sediments. Although non-molluscanr taxa may also be affected by metal pollution, other explanations for their low diversity and abundance seem more likely. These include excessive accretion in the intertidal areas (especially in Copperhouse Pool), changes in physical properties of the sediments, and unusually large salinity variations in Copperhouse Pool. These three physical factors are linked, and it would appear that their effects on estuarine macroinvertebrates could be significantly decreased by ecologically sensitive engineering.

This study has shown a clear link between the height of the mudflats in Copperhouse Pool and the number of taxa present. At most of the highest sites only one taxon was found, and this is believed to have little importance as a prey item for birds. The removal of the most contaminated sediments in Copperhouse Pool would be beneficial to most estuarine invertebrates for four main reasons:

1 reduction in sediment toxicity;
2 increase in the volume of seawater entering Copperhouse Pool, and therefore a decrease in the average concentrations of metals in the water and a decrease in water toxicity;
3 increased average salinities due to the greater volume of seawater would increase the number of taxa;
4 decrease in the height of the higher mudflats would reduce the effects of desiccation and therefore increase the number of taxa that could colonise those areas.

In the short term the lowering of the intertidal areas of Copperhouse Pool would reduce their importance as feeding grounds
for waders, due to the removal of the most productive surface layers. There is also the danger of mobilising metals from the
sediments into the water column, but this could be minimised by carefully controlled operations.

The recovery period will be critically dependent on the time of year that the surface layers are removed, the percentage of the
surface affected, and the physical and chemical properties of the new surface.

21/07/2007 Dog Control Orders

The areas where dogs are banned on the beach and the times and dates of the restriction are under consideration.  Option 4 is being recommended which allows dogs on the beach everywhere during evening hours and reduces the length of the ban.

Click on each image for a larger version.

12/06/2007 Foundry Square Enhancements

The work on improving Foundry Square has started and the plans for how it will look are shown below.  Clcik on the image for a high-resolution version (1.2Mb)

Click for a PDF version.

12/12/2006 Allotments

The Council has been pursuing allotments for over two years and the most promising option has been the use of Glebe land in Phillack below the closed cemetary on Lethlean Lane.

The Glebe Committee's solicitors have finally produced an initial proposal (below) which will be the subject of further discussions.  The initial proposal shows eight allotments.

At the Council meeting on 7 December 2006 some ideas were put forward about how to get additional allotments and perhaps make other changes to the proposal.  An early meeting with the Phillack Glebe Committee is being sought.

28/11/2006 Network Rail closes the Hayle Station pedestrian crossing

Mr. Alexander called on Wednesday (29th) to apologise for the lack of notice (an oversight).  Network Rail had spoken with Paul Wilkinson at Cornwall County Council but had not spoken to anyone at District or to to Hayle Town Council.  Cllr. Terry Lello, CC, our County Councillor had no knowledge of this.

Mr. Alexander said that the decision was made on "Health and Safety" grounds and was not reversible.  He recognised that pedestrians will still have to use the crossing to get to the 'up' platform and that the same health and safety issues applied to them.

I received this email on 30/11:

Dear Councillor Bennett

 

HAYLE STATION FOOTPATH CROSSING

 

Further to our telephone conversation on 29th November and your email of today I am writing to set out the background to Network Rail’s action in closing off the station crossing to the general public.

 

I must first of all apologise that you did not receive direct communication from ourselves and trust that this letter of explanation will assist you in understanding why we have taken the action that we have.

 

Historically the footpath crossing was provided for the convenience of passengers when the station footbridge was demolished some 30 years ago. Signs at the crossing invited “passengers” rather than “pedestrians” to cross the line. Miniature stop and go lights were installed at the crossing in 1979 to indicate when it was safe to cross the line but from the outset it was apparent that members of the public, other than those intending to travel by train, were using the crossing as a short cut between different areas of the town.

 

Matters came to a head in 1994 when the Health & Safety Executive, Railway Inspectorate, proposed the outright closure of the crossing. However, at that time it was acknowledged that if there was to be separate access to both station platforms this could still lead to people taking the risk of crossing the railway even though the facility had been removed.

 

Although the public have been using the crossing for a significant length of time, Network Rail is protected under statute against the acquisition of public rights over the approaches to the station and over the railway itself under the provisions of Sections 57 and 55 of the British Transport Commission Act 1949 which renders the act of trespass on railway property a criminal offence.

 

The situation was kept under review and in March 2005 the local MP, Andrew George became involved following misuse of the crossing reported to the British Transport Police. There have also been instances where the crossing has been used by both pedal and motor cyclists.

 

Accordingly the proposal was developed whereby the existing access to the Plymouth bound platform would be closed off and the crossing would be retained strictly as a station facility with all access to and egress from the station being from Station Hill. This aspect was fully discussed with and supported by the station operator, firstly Wessex Trains and latterly First Great Western.

 

Cornwall County Council was also advised of these proposals on the basis that the closure of the crossing to the general public would result in greater use being made of the public rights of way over and under the railway at either end of the station. I understand from our conversation that you are already in dialogue with the County Council regarding the improvement of these highways.

 

I am sorry for the misunderstanding regarding local consultation but please be assured that the alterations are being carried out in the interests of public safety and that it was not our intention to inconvenience the residents of Hayle unnecessarily.

 

I hope this clarifies our position.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Kristian Alexander

Community Relations Manager – Network Rail

---

I sent the following to Andrew George on 29 November 2006:

---

Andrew:

Network Rail has closed the public crossing at Hayle Railway Station without any public consultation. 

The attached letter is dated on Sunday, received by me and the Town Clerk on Tuesday and relates to work which started the previous day, i.e. Monday.  I walked up to the station on the day I received the letter and the crossing was already closed.

I received a phone call this morning from Mr. Kristian Alexander, Community Relations Manager, following an emailed remonstration from both me and the Town Clerk.  He stated that there was no room for negotiation but that he apologised for the lack of notice.

As I walked up there today, I was passed by a man in an electric wheel chair (details deleted for privacy) who claimed to have been using the crossing for 5 years.  Today he had to come via the underpass and through the small entrance at the top of the green and he said that he needed the help of three BT engineers, who were working nearby, to get him around the gate.

Network Rail claim that this is a 'Health and Safety' issue.  This is belied by the fact that, with the north entrance now closed, there is no access to the up platform except by crossing over the railway lines.

The crossing is clearly marked as not being a public footpath, but closing it without local consultation is unacceptable.  Apparently, Paul Wilkinson at Cornwall County Council was advised, but nothing filtered through to the local level.

If you feel Network Rail's behaviour to be unacceptable, I would appreciate if you could apply some 'parliamentary pressure.'

Thank you.

---

As a follow-up, I sent the following questions to Network Rail:

1. In your letter you refer to "a number of issues with the misuse of the footpath."  Could you give us some idea what these are?
2. Could you explain why your letter was addressed to "Foundry Under Fives"? 
3. When did your discussions with Cornwall County Council take place?

 

Here is the response:

---

1. We have 14 recorded incidents since 2005 of serious misuse.  The most recent was a ‘near miss’ involving four girls on the track (12/10/06).  Other examples range from adults continuously riding motor bikes over the crossing to crossing lights being vandalised.

2. We copied you in on our letter to Foundry Under Fives as we recognised this is the destination of many of the crossing users.  We wanted to draw to your attention that we were informing residents/business local to the barrow crossing of the changing availability.  As discussed, we should have communicated this personally to you much earlier.  I hope you will accept my apologies in this respect.

3. I have been advised that discussions with Cornwall County Council took place in June 2005 (specifically with Paul Wilkinson – Area Surveyor)

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Kristian

---

Received 16 November 2006:

CCTV System (20061124)

From the Hayle Town Clerk:

It has become apparent that the CCTV system, which covers Hayle, St Ives and Penzance, needs a complete overhaul. The existing is over seven years old and has reached the point where significant additional investment is needed to ensure that it can provide improved identification quality and to replace worn out equipment.

Penwith District Council will continue to commit in the region of £200,000 per annum to keep the system running, but it is asking the three Town Councils to pay for the cost of the upgrade, which amounts to £256,000 over the next five years (£52,000 per annum). This will be split proportionally between the three towns. Without the agreement and support of the towns it is likely that the CCTV service will be withdrawn.

It is estimated that Hayle’s contribution will be around £8,000 – £9,000 per annum for the next five years. This will mean an increase on the town’s precept (and the Town Council’s element of your overall Council Tax) of approximately 10% or in real terms, approximately £3 per year per Band D property.

The Town Council wants to hear your views.

• Do you think the CCTV system is a vital facility?
• Are you in agreement with the proposed domestic rate increase to permit the CCTV upgrade and therefore continue in operation?

In addition to yes/no answers, it would be helpful to have an explanation of your views.

 

Please respond in writing, by either e-mail or letter to the Town Clerk by Thursday 11 January 2007 or come and have your say at the Town Council’s Public Participation on that day at 7.15 p.m. in the Passmore Edwards Institute.

---

For more details on the CCTV system, costs and benefits, please read the PDC briefing (pdf).

13 June 2007 CCTV Annual Report 2006/7

The tables in the report show the total annual incidents recorded for 2006-07. The Tables have been split into the respective towns to view more easily and then totalled in the bottom table.
56% of these recorded incidents were initiated by the West Cornwall CCTV Centre, 19% by Storenet and 25% initiated by the Police. Out of the 311 incidents recorded in Penwith, the Police attended 268 incidents (86%).
There is also a comparison of 2006-07 recorded incidents against 2005-06. The tables show one main period where incidents increase around 2nd quarter (the summer holidays). Though there is an increase at this point you can see a clear drop of incidents for 2006 when compared to 2005.

Download the report in PDF (1.83Mb)

Spotlight on Hayle in PDC's Shorelines magazine

The Autumn 2006 edition of Shorelines has included a feature listing many of the projects that have been completed or are under way in Hayle.  Click on the image below to see a larger version (900kb).

Hayle Skate Park

Skate Park Grand Opening, Wednesday, 13th September at 4 pm

The youth of Hayle, along with skaters throughout the South West are now enjoying one of the best skate bowl facilities in the whole of the UK and described by many, as 'awesome'.  Everyone associated with the project should be proud of what has been achieved following many years of hard fund raising efforts.  Penwith's Project Officer Neil Clark stated, “Not only have we delivered a first class skate boarding facility, but we have also re-instated the pitch and putt area and constructed a Boules Court”.  

The whole project has cost in the region of £225,000, with the majority of funds coming from Penwith District Council's Capital Programme, Sports Fund and Community Safety Fund, along with a large contribution (£90,000) from the Livability Fund which is a former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) initiative, to improve open green spaces.  There have also been contributions from Hayle Town Council and Hayle Skate.

Great job Hayle Skate and thanks to PDC for the final funding and expert project management.

East Quay Harbour Wall

On 2 September 2006 I received the following letter from Save Our Sand:

The East Quay pictured from the Harbour Master's Office:

On 2 March 2007 I raised the issue at the Hayle Regeneration Management Group meeting.  I addressed the matter to Matt Barton as he has the responsibility to enforce listed structure repairs.  He promised to look into it.  Owen Philp stated that the Save Our Sand group were a 'bunch of whingers' and 'should be ignored'.

I subsequently discovered that the matter had been discussed at the 10 January Hayle Harbour Advisory Committee meeting and John Browne had stated that the advice received from their consulting engineers was that no action should be taken at this stage - the material that had already fallen would help to protect what was left.

Old Brewery Office, Sea Lane

A lot of attention is being given to the Old Brewery Office which is a Grade II listed building.  The building is in bad shape but can be saved.  The Cornwall Buildings Preservation Trust (A trust supported by the County Council and District Councils) has looked at the building and is interested in taking it on.  The Penwith Conservation Officer, Steve Edwards, has written to the owners, St. Austell Brewery, to encourage a resolution of the matter.   Some pictures taken on 7 June 2006 follow:

Loggans Mill

First Great Western - Hayle Station Services

The new timetable:

Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:02:07 +0000

From: John Bennett

To: tt06@firstgroup.com

CC: customer.panel@firstgroup.com,

sancreedtransport@hotmail.com,

tandrewes@carrick.gov.uk,

David Rutherford

Subject: FGW Rail Services to Hayle

Recognising the improvements to the Cornwall-London service and the retention and improvements to the Night Riviera service, I am astonished that Hayle has so few local services during the day from Hayle to Penzance. In fact there are none from 1103 until 1830.

Hayle is going through a period of regeneration and renovation and is the gateway to the west of Cornwall. Since purchasing the harbour, ING has unveiled plans for expenditure in the region of £175 million, and investment from others is likely to increase this amount further. Within the town, the Townscape initiative is spending £4 million improving the historic fabric of the town and Streetscape is now painting and installing new street furniture to give the town a fresh look. All the shops at the Copperhouse end of Hayle are now leased, with several undergoing face lifts. And at Foundry, Pratt's Market has all of its units leased for the first time in years.

Marks and Spencer, too, is seeking to open a store at the entrance to Hayle - and they have stated that if they cannot build in Hayle, they will not be building elsewhere in West Cornwall. What do they know that you do not? That Hayle is at the brink of the largest development since the Second World War - and you should be part of it.

Add to this the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTi) which is in the final phases of producing a long-term vision for Hayle, with a good source of funding to implement it, and Hayle is definitely set to regain its place as the foremost commercial centre in West Cornwall. I say these things not out of civic pride, but to point out that it makes good business sense to invest in Hayle. More and more professionals are coming to the town and would be grateful for the train stopping in Hayle. I know of several key executives who drive down from London, Bristol and Salisbury rather than take the train because they have to hire a car or take a taxi from St. Erth or Penzance but could walk from Hayle to their meetings and work on the train if the Hayle stop was available. It is time to stop treating Hayle as a stop to be 'Beeching-ed' but rather an opportunity where a small investment will reap a good return.

Please reconsider your whole strategy for Hayle and look to invest and grow rather than shrink the already limited services.

--

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.

REF 01311689, 2502/2006 1847

Dear Mr Bennett

Thank you for your email commenting on the proposed changes to the timetable, to be implemented in December 2006.

Please be assured that I have forwarded your comments to the Timetable Planning Department for the information of all relevant parties; your feedback is very important to us. If we receive any further information specific to your area of interest, and in response to your comments, we will contact you again at the earliest opportunity and keep you updated.

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me, and for your valued feedback regarding our rescheduled services.

Yours Sincerely

Gary Badcoe

Customer Relations Advisor