Newsletter February 2015
PLANNING
The list of applications to which the Society has made written objections is shown on the Current Concerns page
The good news is that the turbine application at Treswarrow, St Minver, has not been approved. However, there is still a chance that there will be an appeal.
Included in this newsletter is an excellent brief on how to fight a single turbine application, written with the experience gained from the successful fighting of the Smeathers application.
Callybarret Farm turbine has been approved in spite of many objections. It was approved with a 47m height, but the developer (Clean Earth) has rubbed salt into the wound by submitting a new application to have the height raised to 67m. It is close to the A30 to the east of Bodmin in an appalling position clearly causing further visual damage on the edge of the Moor. There are local efforts to get as many people as possible to object.
Scotland Corner is on ridge to the west of the St Breock wind farm above the A39. This is not in our area but the five giant 110m turbines will have a serious visual intrusion into it and will be seen from the coast and the Camel Estuary AONB. The whole of the high ground on the horizon to the south and west of the A39, with St Breock, Scotland Corner, Denzell Downs and Bears Downs wind farms, will become an example of how our natural landscape is being downgraded for little gain. We will be writing an objection, and it is hoped many others will join us
CORNWALL AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY (AONB) PARTNERSHIP ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Two members of the Committee attended this event on 7th March. It was generally an upbeat and encouraging day
The most important news was that Cornwall Council has agreed to maintain its vital share of funding for the Partnership after initially threatening to withdraw or reduce it in line with Natural England. Their decision may have been prompted in part by the large number of objections their threat had provoked. This means that the Partnership still has its own planning officer, James Evans, who should be contacted by anyone unhappy with a proposed development which would impact adversely on an AONB
Another lesson from the day was the trend towards greater cooperation between the various agencies in Cornwall with an interest in the environment and our natural resources. Encouraging; but there are still elements, particularly in the Council, who seem to regard all development as desirable, believing that it will always result in growth, and paying little heed to the costs or to any damage
Finally, there was a planning exercise to demonstrate how important it is for a local parish or town council to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for its area. In this exercise a damaging housing development would have been allowed under both the NPPF and under the Draft Cornwall Local Plan but was refused when the Neighbourhood Plan for the Roseland was applied
So members from areas that have not yet embarked upon this admittedly daunting process should encourage their local council to bite the bullet and produce a Neighbourhood Plan
May I yet again remind you that members of the Society are our eyes and ears and it is important that you let a trustee know if there are planning issues that you feel should be brought to our attention
WALK AND TALK EVENT TO ROUGHTOR SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER AT 2.00 PM
Peter Herring has kindly offered to lead a group to Roughtor on Saturday afternoon 12th September. Peter holds a senior position with English Heritage and is the principal authority on the archaeology of Bodmin Moor. He will provide us with background information on all the terrain covered and I hope that many of you will join us
We shall meet in the Roughtor car park and, weather permitting, we could gather beforehand for a picnic lunch for those who wished. More information nearer the time, but please put a note in your diary if you are interested
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting on 12th May. PLEASE NOTE THE DAY A TUESDAY!
Richard Vyvyan-Robinson
Chairman