Challenging the Ampersand PR
One of the ways that CBW is campaigning against the beach development is to attempt, on a shoestring, to bring to public notice important cautionary information which counters the well funded, widely publicised PR message evangelising the project.
The often repeated PR message will tell you that the Ampersand project represents an opportunity to the area, that it offers regeneration, that it offers local jobs and that all the outcomes that it claims to promise are being stonewalled by planning bureaucracy and ignorant local opposition.
It is just not that simple. CBW's message may not be 'sexy', or lend itself easily to soundbites, but it is profoundly serious, well researched and robust. There is another important side to the all the hype. It needs to be heard.
Resistance to this development is wide-spread, well supported both in the community and by a broad selection of experts and advisory bodies. Have a look at what some of them have to say and judge for yourself. Below you will read a selection of comments from the opposing viewpoint. Together they add up to to a message which urges caution, scrutiny and due democratic process. Together they emphasise that this project is experimental. They strike a warning note that it may well pose a very real threat to a spectacular piece of our coastline and our infrastructure on land.
"Recent studies show that changing wave regimes in relation to climate change will mean that many Cornish beaches, upon which tourism in that region depends, are going to lose sand and become rocky platform. Building on a dynamic coastline such as that which exists in Cornwall is seriously problematic for all those concerned. Building there without knowing exactly how and by whom ongoing management is to be executed and funded is short-sighted in the extreme. There are many reasons why it is bad practice. With regard to the beaches at Carlyon Bay, there are so many parts of this project which are unacceptable that it is time to think again."
Dr Bob Earl, of Coastal Management for Sustainability, to the conference Coastal Futures 2005, January 20th 2005
"The situation that we would find really embarrassing would be if the developers were to walk away leaving the beach like this."
Restormel Council’s Development Chairman Malcolm Brown, to BBC correspondent, Adrian Campbell, on BBC Spotlight, December 20th 2004
....."if the proposal did go ahead we would like to see really active consideration of making this a car-free resort..........we would like to see the highest level of environmental management taking place to minimise, if not completely negate, any negative impact on the natural beach and cliff habitats."
Malcom Bell, Chief Executive of South West Tourism, in his letter to Mr R.Bayley, GOSW, dated 25th July 2003
"Yet, under the Town and Country Planning Act of 1990, planning permission lapses if not exercised within five years. So how is it, since there is no trace of the flats agreed in 1995, that the planning permission can still be considered extant? The council's reply makes a mockery of the planning system. "The owner marked out part of a road and put a bit of hardcore down," says (Phil) Mason (of RBC). You might as well grant full development rights to any child who has made a start on a sandcastle."
Ross Clark, The Sunday Telegraph, 03 August 2003
"Restormel borough council says that if planning permission for such a development were sought now it would not be granted, because it goes against the authority’s local plan"
The Guardian, Monday September 8 2003
"Cornwall Wildlife Trust is concerned that if this development goes ahead without a full EIA being applied to it, there will be significant negative impacts on the nature conservation value of the adjacent inter-tidal habitats (and potentially adjacent areas of the beach morphology) and the terrestrial habitats of the cliffs and eastern bay."
Richard Marsh, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Assistant Conservation Manager, July 03, 2003
"We believe that the resultant significant increase in traffic movements and pollution from vehicle emissions have major implications for the health and safety of children attending the school. The additional traffic will cause huge problems for pedestrian and vehicular access and parking along the narrow road that borders the school.....Consequently, we support the call for a public enquiry into this planning application."
10th July 03 from Mr. Christopher Sampson, Chair of Governors, Charlestown Primary School, to JP c/o GOSW at Plymouth
Erosion by wave action and the stream flow onto the beach, together with some eastwards drift towards Spit Beach, may therefore be gradually removing the artificially constructed beach...The sand level on the beach varies because of large scale movements from west to east and vice versa, depending on prevailing winds, particularly storms. Observation over many years indicates that....Because of the overall tendency of eastward drift, a small part of the area at the east end of Carlyon Bay Beach which was given planning permission for development about 15 years ago now lies permanently within the area affected by wave action during spring tides."
'Geoscience in the South West 10, 373 -376' 'Field Excursion to the Area of St Austell Bay between Carlyon Bay and Par, 2nd January 2002' . Extracts of a Paper presented to the Proceedings of the Ussher Society by CM Bristow and HCL James
"a key aim of the study team has been to maximise landward development potential at the site"
Restormel Borough Council’s Draft Report by Royal Haskonning
According to EIA regs, Restormel Borough Council should have considered...
"the direct and indirect, secondary, cumulative, short term, medium term and long term, permanent and temporary, positive and negative effects of the project".
Section 3, Appendix 4 of the Environmental Impact Assessments Regulations
“It is considered that this scheme would be unacceptable if promoted by a public sector authority due to the unusually intensive operation and maintenance burden.”
Royal Haskonning Report May 2005
" In my view it would be totally irresponsible to allow residential development to proceed”
J.H.Woods CE.MICE MCIEM
" I believe there is a potential for a disaster to life and property on a grand scale”
Dr A Francis BSc. (Hons) Phd. Chief production geologist English China Clay (Imerys) Retired
NATIONAL TRUST CONFERENCE ON ‘SHIFTING SHORES REPORT’Held at Newquay in May 2005 ".....a universal 'hold the line' approach through ever increasing sea defences is unaffordable and in many cases, counter-productive."
Mark Harold, National Trust director for Devon and Cornwall as reported in the Cornish Guardian 12/05/05
“The whole sea wall design is flawed and insupportable. Costs of recurrent problems would far exceed any commercial value of the proposed development ongoing coastline maintenance problem. You are being asked to approve an experimental design”
Dr M J Fennessy MA. Phd. FRIN. Coastal research scientist