Poll finds majority against building on Battery Rocks
THE report into the regeneration of Penzance Harbour is expected to support plans to build the passenger and freight complex on Battery Rocks Beach.
The Route Partnership says the draft report, which will be finalised for official release on Tuesday, finds plans for an out-of-town freight depot "economically unsustainable".
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Penzance the Jubilee Bathing Pool St. Marys Church and the Heliport behind. Photo byCIOSP
But a poll launched by The Cornishman, which attracted more than 3,000 votes this week, found overwhelming opposition to any plans for building on Battery Rocks, with 66% against.
The Route Partnership is expected to submit its second planning application for approval this autumn.
The study was undertaken after the original plans for a terminal at Battery Rocks were shelved earlier this year in the face of opposition.
Consultants looked at two alternative options to the original plans.
Facilities
The first involved using the Trinity House for freight handling and Waterside Meadery for passenger facilities and the second establishing an out-of-town freight depot at Long Rock Industrial Estate and using the Meadery site to provide passenger facilities.
Although the report found both alternatives as "workable solutions", the appraisal supports the original plan due to the "lower ongoing operational costs" and the "simpler operation of the single site solution".
The Friends of Penzance Harbour have hit back at the findings.
They have compiled a new set of options which they believe make the scheme more than 50% cheaper, saving nearly £4 million.
The new option involves constructing a passenger terminal next to the Meadery, combined with an out-of-town depot using a rented unit at Long Rock Industrial Estate.
Spokesman John Maggs says the cost has been calculated using figures from the RP consultants report.
He said: "A reduction in the capital cost of the freight and passenger terminals leaves more funds available for the purchase of the new vessels which reduces the amount that Cornwall Council has to borrow. This reduces the payments on the loan, which frees up part of the fees from the operator to help cover running costs."
But the Route Partnership says there's no time to speculate on new options.
They maintain the Department for Transport has set time constraints and if the opportunity is missed Penzance will be waiting at least 10 years until another opportunity arises.
Improved
Project director Tim Wood said: "Either an improved Route Partnership scheme is agreed on a reclaimed area or the project funding will evaporate."
The partnership is also reviewing its own proposal with an aim to reduce the area reclaimed around Battery Rocks by 20%.
Mr Wood continued: "I have already requested local members' comments on a revised passenger building design and I am confident these changes will make a dramatic difference to the proposals that will be submitted for approval."
And Graeme Hicks, Cornwall Council cabinet member for Highways, Transport and Planning, added: "We have looked closely at all alternatives and unfortunately none of them are better, as all of them saddle the Islands with significant freight costs."
West Cornwall MP Andrew George has confirmed that the deadline for the Department for Transport funding is the end of this financial year (March 2010).
He said: "It is unacceptable that Penzance has been left with an important decision to be taken in a climate of eleventh hour brinkmanship. I see it as my role to ensure that Government ministers and the Department of Transport recognise the importance of this lifeline service and also the seriousness of the decisions which have yet to be taken in respect of Penzance Harbour.
"The Halcrow Report acknowledges that each of the three options are, as they put it "workable solutions". As they were dealing with 'concepts', rather than actual and clear proposals, many of the conclusions, while useful, are still open to debate and interpretation.
Proposal
"They even make clear that the Route Partnership's favoured proposal – and the more expensive option – of building on Battery Rocks beach could prove to also be the most expensive in terms of freight handling if forklift trucks are proved to be inadequate to do the harbour side job.
"I have offered to speak to the Department for Transport and the Shipping Minister too, if necessary, to secure a supplementary agreement on the timetabling of the remaining work, development of plans and securing of statutory approvals before submission to the department for final ministerial approval."
5 Comments
by Richard, Newlyn
Friday, August 21 2009, 1:08PM
“This vote has NO credibility at all since there was no control over duplicate/multiple voting.
To be credible, the vote should a) have required users to provide ID/email addresses, b) have recorded IP addresses and c) set up technically so that multiple votes from the same email address or computer location were discounted.
The Cornishman should make it clear that this vote CANNOT be taken as properly representative of local public opinion.
Also, the reporting continues to refer to proposals to build over the Battery Rocks - this has NEVER been proposed. All that has been included was building over a small area of muddy beach below the seawall. This again has been misleading and unhelpful in furthering a balanced debate.
If only people - and the newspaper (who should know better) - would restrict themselves to the facts and avoid emotion, we would all be better informed and might achieve a result that is truthfully in accord with the opinion of the general public - after reasoned consideration of the real points at issue.”
by Neil, London
Thursday, August 20 2009, 6:09PM
“Battery Rocks is a beautiful area used by many people to swim, relax and enjoy the beauty of the bay, With the sandy beach a mile away, and Newlyn beach a little small, this is the preferred place for people to swim in the sea.
Penzance needs the Scilly traffic but it also benefits from tourism and tourists like me love visiting the town and relaxing by the rocks. If you build on the rocks area you reduce the attraction of the town. It should be easy and enjoyable for local residents to go and swim and for visitors.
Surely the current ferry area could be modernised, without taking over the Battery Rock area.
Penzance is a great place, let's not spoil its beauty. Improve the current ferry terminal have a two or three level terminal maybe one which could do the work of the weighbridge office, and make the current weighbridge office a coach parking area.
But please leave the Rocks area for the local swimmers, the kids and the tourists. Let's not ruin Penzance in helping Scilly, lets help both.”
by William Cox, Penzance
Thursday, August 20 2009, 11:18AM
“I agree with the comments made by John Maggs, the route partnership must consider the other more sensible options. If the proposed RP scheme goes ahead, I feel sure the traffic problems will be even worse than they are now with lorries, cars buses and people with luggage spilling out on to the Barbican area were there are blind spots on the corner. This road is already heavily congested making life difficult for the visitors that are trying to enjoy a holiday in Penzance.”
by John Maggs, Penzance
Thursday, August 20 2009, 9:38AM
“In respect of the front page coverage of the poll, the reason that it underestimates the scale of opposition in Penzance is that it includes heavy voting from outside the area that was the result of a campaign by the Tresco Estate on Scilly to get its customers, other contacts and islanders to vote in favour of the RP scheme. This is why there were so many comments on the Cornishman website from people outside of the area. We didn't interfere when they were making decisions about the St Marys development and they shouldn't be trying to influence what happens in Penzance. Take these voters out of the poll and you'd find that opposition in Penzance is not much different now to what it was a year ago when the RP first presented its plans to the town and 85% rejected them.”
by John Maggs, Penzance
Thursday, August 20 2009, 9:12AM
“The Route Partnership do not need to speculate on new options to choose an alternative. The out of town depot option in their alternative options report is by their own figures just 8% more expensive to operate than building on Battery Rocks beach. Of course they have tried to make it look as expensive as possible but if you take their more extravagant flights of fancy out of the plan it quickly becomes substantially cheaper to operate than their original scheme. An out of town freight depot is perfectly affordable and brings massive additional benefits to the town, in particular the removal of heavy lorries and other traffic that will be essential to the longer term regeneration of the area.”