News Archive

Threat to regeneration blueprint

Eco-Bos and Cornwall Council are in discussions over the future of the Eco communities after it was revealed that the St Austell, St Blazey and China Clay Area Regeneration plan might face a judicial review.
The regeneration plan provides a planning policy for the area. It outlines what the Council expects potential developers to provide to the community as part of their proposals, such as jobs and increased green spaces.
The application for the Eco Town, submitted in March after lengthy consultations with local councils and members of the public, refers to the regeneration plan and has been created in line with its aspirations.
Mark Kaczmarek, the Council’s portfolio holder for Planning and Housing, said “The Council is resisting the potential action. However, we will be carrying out a review of the Regeneration Plan as a result of the publication of the Coalition Government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework.
"The Regeneration Plan is not being formally withdrawn as a policy document.  However, although it will remain in existence, it will not be used in decision making until the review process is complete.”

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Jemma opens A-level centre

St Austell’s Golden Girl athlete Jemma Simpson officially opened Cornwall College’s new £500,000 A-level Centre last week.
The 27-year-old Newquay and Par Athletic Club star runs in the 800m and has gathered a host of medals in recent years.  She just missed out on a semi-final place at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and is now preparing for London 2012 as part of Team GB.
Head of A-levels and Director of Sport for Cornwall College Russell Lawrance said: “The opening of the New A-level centre at St Austell College represents a sustainable investment in the future of young people in the area.
"The new centre is totally focused in the operation of delivering an outstanding education and as such is totally focused on the students."

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Zombies aim to take over town

Monday, October 31 — Hallowe’en — will witness the spawning of the first St Austell Zombie Walk, organised by St Austell Market House CIC.
Zombies will gather at 7pm in the heart of the old Market House for fortifying vampire juice before crawling out into the dark underworld.
Led by the ‘Undertaker’, carrying a placard warning those of a sensitive nature what is to follow, the groaning, bloodied zombies will creep in the shadows of Church Street and shuffle down Duke Street seeking new victims before lurching into Aylmer Square out of the gloom of Old Vicarage Place. There they will mix with and cross infect zombies dancing to Thriller before shambling back to re-infect the Market House.
Non teen zombies must be accompanied by an appropriate adult zombie and bad weather provision will be available. Prizes will be awarded for the best individual zombie and zombie group and an entry charge of £1 per person will be split equally between the Market House Restoration Fund and Little Harbour.

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Faulty turbine firm goes bust

Gorran School’s ‘eco’ dream of free electricity via its  £55,000 wind turbine has been blown away after the company that installed it went bust, leaving the school with no generating power and a redundant pile of scrap.
The school hit national headlines in 2008 when it installed a 15 metre wind turbine designed to provide it with free electricity, with any surplus to be sold to the National Grid. The system, seen as the green blueprint for clean, sustainable energy for schools across the country, was funded by grants of £30,000 from the power company EDF, £17,000 from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, £7,500 from Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit and £500 from Eco-Schools
 However, soon after installation it became apparent that the new windmill was faulty, and it eventually seized after just a couple of months, showering the playing field with debris.
Since then the school has been locked in a battle with suppliers Proven Energy, and despite intense legal negotiations that included the school agreeing to a ‘gagging clause’, last week saw the company go into administration, leaving little likelihood of any monies being recovered.

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Developer eyes Holmbush site

Another development looks set to hit St Austell as developer Devonshire Homes Limited eyes land at Holmbush.
Proposals for the site, west of Pine Lodge Gardens, are currently in the pre application stage but concerns have already been raised over traffic.
Access to the site would be via the already often busy A390 and at a recent meeting of the Carlyon Parish Council Councillor John Hermes was said to be frustrated that any traffic surveys carried out for the site would not include the potential future traffic which may be created by The Beach development or the redevelopment of the former Holmbush Café.
Steve Russell, Land and Planning director, Devonshire Homes said: "We have just started to look at the possibilities of development on the site, and met with the Carlyon Bay Parish Council this week.
“There are no plans as yet as we are looking to engage with other members of the community before preparing any plans.
"There have been no decisions made at the present time, we are investigating residential, commercial and community uses."
Devonshire Homes are a Tiverton-based house building company who have been in operation since 1990.

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Market House plans transformation

PLANS to transform St Austell’s historic Market House into a thriving community space took a step forward last week as an eye-opening vision of what the future could hold for the Grade II* listed building was revealed.
The visionaries behind two already successful regeneration projects invited Market House directors, and representatives from Cornwall Council, St Austell Town Council, and the Eden Project to contribute their thoughts on how to create a low carbon ‘Creative Hub’ within the Market House.
At a special workshop  - organised by design agency Leap last Tuesday - George Ferguson, of Ferguson Mann, and Jamie Pike, from Co-Exist, both gave accounts of their own experiences and advice on ways of achieving a vibrant venue in the heart of St Austell.

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Poltair hands out prizes

The achievements of some of St Austell’s brightest young students were recognised last week when Poltair School held its annual Prize Giving ceremony.
 With the school Sports Hall full to bursting, the gong presenting duties fell to a very welcome VIP. Former acting Head Sean Hewitt, a 30-year veteran before he retired last year, was invited to speak to the assembled masses about his life after teaching, as well as presenting the special awards.
Mr Hewitt, nowadays an accomplished commercial artist, spoke movingly about his deceased parents and his experiences abroad as, although predominantly a Cornwall-based artist, “he had spent almost all of his childhood in the Middle East which inspired him in a lifelong love of colour, particularly the glorious sunshine yellows and azure iridescent blues of the Mediterranean landscape”.

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Sanctuary closed by council

The DOORS of the Sticker Tortoise Garden have finally been closed after Cornwall Council insisted the Sanctuary register as a zoo for wild animals or shut down.
In August, Cornwall Council informed the owner, Joy Bloor, that she must close the garden within 28 days after council officials interpreted the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 as classifying tortoises as wild animals, not domestic pets.
The 28 day period ended on September 22 and Mrs Bloor original planned to defy the deadline and stay open until the normal winter closure date of September 30, but the decision was made on Monday to close the doors.
The sanctuary had been open to the public for 12 years, with the approval of the former Restormel Borough Council and is home to just under 400 tortoises. The tortoises will remain at the garden, but it will no longer be open to the public.
Joy Bloor  told the Voice on Monday: "At the end of the day, we think its the best thing for the tortoises. Certain things came to light that put would them in jeopardy under the terms of the zoo regulations. We can't afford to put them at risk.
"I don't think I can put into words how I feel — I'm really disappointed."

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Work begins on incinerator

WORKERS moved in to begin construction on an access road leading to the controversial £165m incinerator in St Dennis on Monday — despite a pending legal challenge from protesters.
Residents in the village were given “short notice” last week that preparatory work for the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre (CERC) would begin on Monday with the construction of haul roads for the hundreds of lorries which will thunder towards the village each day.
The planning conditions were formally discharged last Wednesday, allowing workers to begin construction on phase one of the CERC.
Cornwall Council officially announced on Friday that they would begin work on the haul road and clearing the site.
The works, which are being carried out by CORMAC, are expected to last until the end of October.

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Lights on, but no late shopping

St Austell Town Centre will once again be lit up for Christmas after St Austell Town Council agreed to make a contribution to the lights — but late night shopping on a Tuesday will no longer be part of the festivities.
In August, traders got together to put forward ideas for enhancing Christmas in the town and the feedback received included that many shops would not be opening this year for late night shopping. Cornwall Council will also not be providing entertainment on Tuesday evenings.
St Austell Live, run by the Eden Project and sponsored by Cornwall Council, will be running activities on Saturdays leading up to Christmas and retailers in White River Place will be open until 8pm on Friday nights over the Christmas period.
David Pooley, Town Clerk, said: “Businesses don’t want late night shopping. Late night entertainment brings people in but doesn’t get extra spend in the town, so there isn’t a lot of enthusiasm for late night shopping.”

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