BEAT-LINES
I apologise for the absence of my article in the last edition – I did write it but due to a breakdown in modern communication methods it failed to get to the publishers on time!!
I have recently received a copy of the proposals from the County Council regarding the development of the Square area. The plans look very exciting and offer the opportunity for major changes to the village layout, this I believe, can only be beneficial for residents and visitors alike. I am aware however that not everyone likes change and may become apprehensive about it. You may think that village improvements such as those planned for Portreath really have nothing to do with the police. The truth is, that whilst we are not a lead agency on such projects it is necessary for us to have an input. We have police officers (known as Architectural Liaison Officers or ALO’s) who are experts on ‘designing out’ crime. The ALO will make observations and recommendations at the planning stages of new developments to try and minimise problems of crime and anti social behaviour that may occur due to the design of a development. An example of designing out crime on a housing estate would be to ensure that there are no concealed or blind alleyways particularly at the rear of houses.
In addition to the recommendations of the ALO all agencies have a duty to consider what impact their actions have on crime and anti-social behaviour. As an example, in Portreath, I believe that it is particularly important to carefully consider the location of new seating etc. to ensure that they remain as a facility for people to enjoy as opposed to becoming the preferred venue for alcohol fuelled anti-social groups to meet. Obviously if this became the case particularly near residential properties, then people will justifiably have cause to complain. If you have any such concerns about the new proposals I will be happy to discuss these with you and pass on any relevant observations to the appropriate authority.
It is with regret that I have to inform you that PCSO Vikki White, whom many of you will have seen and met over the last six months has moved on to pastures new and no longer covers this area. I have made strong representations to ‘the powers that be’ that she is replaced as soon as possible. I am pleased to be able to report that I have been given the name of her replacement although we will have to wait for him to complete his initial training prior to seeing him out and about on patrol.
Finally I would like to advise you of a new way to have any concerns that you may have about your community heard and dealt with. I have the task of setting up a Partners and Communities Together (P.A.C.T) panel within area. The panel will comprise of representatives from a number of different agencies and groups with the objective of resolving the top three most important issues identified by the community. Whilst this is a very brief summary of what the PACT process is all about you can see that it will be driven by the what the community wants – so it is up to you to attend the meeting and tell the panel what concerns you the most!! (It is worth noting that this is not a forum just to air your concerns about policing – it is your opportunity to raise issues about anything in your community even if it has nothing at all to do with the police!!) - The details of the first meeting have still to be finalised but will be published – I look forward to seeing you there!!
PORTREATH PARISH COUNCIL
Greenfield Gardens
As you will be aware from other reports in this issue, the seats and litter bins purchased by the Parish Council have now been installed in Greenfield Gardens and the bulk of the improvements have been completed.
Sunnyvale Road
Following representations to the County Council work has now been carried out to stabilise the
Highway at the southern end of Sunnyvale Road where slippage had occurred. A fence has also been erected along this repaired area.
Beach Road
Preliminary plans have been prepared by the County Council for a new kerb line along Beach Road which will slightly narrow the width of this road but delineated parking areas will be retained.
It is also proposed that an additional ‘bus shelter be provided around the area of The Square and that the existing shelter be upgraded. Members have requested that these shelters should be of the ‘up and over’ clear sided type and that no seating should be provided in an effort to prevent the shelters being utilised as gathering places for vandals.
Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish meeting of this Council will be held in The Institute commencing at 7:00 p.m. on
Monday, 30th April when all Parish organisations will be invited to attend and present a report .
This will be the last meeting of the existing council as elections will be held on 3rd May.
Greenfield Gardens
As you will be aware from other reports in this issue, the seats and litter bins purchased by the Parish Council have now been installed in Greenfield Gardens and the bulk of the improvements have been completed.
Sunnyvale Road
Following representations to the County Council work has now been carried out to stabilise the
Highway at the southern end of Sunnyvale Road where slippage had occurred. A fence has also been erected along this repaired area.
Beach Road
Preliminary plans have been prepared by the County Council for a new kerb line along Beach Road which will slightly narrow the width of this road but delineated parking areas will be retained.
It is also proposed that an additional ‘bus shelter be provided around the area of The Square and that the existing shelter be upgraded. Members have requested that these shelters should be of the ‘up and over’ clear sided type and that no seating should be provided in an effort to prevent the shelters being utilised as gathering places for vandals.
Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish meeting of this Council will be held in The Institute commencing at 7:00 p.m. on
Monday, 30th April when all Parish organisations will be invited to attend and present a report .
This will be the last meeting of the existing council as elections will be held on 3rd May.
Seating in Greenfield Gardens
With the ordering and delivery of three stainless steel benches and two stainless steel litter bins, the Parish Council have now finished their part in the regeneration of Greenfield gardens. The council is delighted with the end result and are pleased to see the increased use already apparent in the gardens. The spring bulbs that were planted by the primary school children are now coming through and looking good, as are the many other plants that have been kindly donated by local residents.
Our only disappointment was the necessary installation of Western Power’s transformer station, in which neither the Parish Council or the PIC had any say. Its not as bad as it could have been - at least its green and Western Power have paid for some composting bins and we are hopeful they will fund a couple of specimen trees.
Portreath Improvements Committee are now in control of the gardens and through the efforts of their sub-committee, are improving the gardens even further.
Many thanks to all those involved in the project, it has been a real team effort from members of the parish council, members of the PIC, local residents and of course the cooperation of Kerrier District Council.
Chris Watts
Greenfield Garden update
Spring has arrived at the gardens , the daffodils look great and I
really hope all the children at Portreath school have been to see the
fruits of their labours. The seats have arrived and are waiting to be
installed, I have been told this will be happening mid-march, so
fingers crossed. The new signs are up and look good. I am hoping to
put up another notice board which will tell you what is happening in
the park, when the gardener will be working, when the grand opening
will be, and thanking people for their help. A big thank you to Dee
Beauchamp for three lovely plants for the park, they have fitted in
very well.
Please don’t forget this is a community garden for the village and
your ideas and help are important to make this park succeed. Apart
from the gardener nobody gets paid to be involved in this garden and
should you see any damage being caused please act on it. Remember
this is our park and we must all try to keep it as we would like it
to be.
Sarah Clasper
£
Councillor White Retires
Councillor Ashton White will not be standing for the parish council election on May 3 this year. Mr. White has been a member of Portreath Parish Council since its inception on the 15 of April 1985.
He has been a very active member of the Council and been involved in many projects , organising as chairman in 1986 and 87 the clearance of the harbour precinct by way of local donations, turning the area from waste tip to the usable area we know today
He was heavily involved in the clear up after the flooding of the Portreath river during the early Nineties and the subsequent enquiry into the causes, and highlighted the division of responsibilities between Kerrier District Council and the Environment Agency at the root of the problem. This led to re- designation of the water course as a main river for which the Environment Agency became solely responsible. Further serious flooding has since been avoided.
He fostered good relations with RAF Portreath over many years taking a particular interest in the wildlife surveys of the RAF conservation group. These findings became particularly valuable at a later date when they were able to show the same healthy levels of flora and fauna after the closure of the chemical warfare units as there had been at the outset. Mr White was subsequently presented with a commemorative plaque by the commanding officer for services to the liaison work between the RAF and the community
He negotiated a local agreement with the developers of Harbour Court to allow the resiting of the granite horse trough memorial to Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, to a safer spot away from the busy forecourt of the shops in the square.
He has been chairman of the Council on four occasions , the most recent being 2003, which was the year of our public consultation regarding the village centre regeneration programme, which hopefully will see the start of work this year, for completion in 2008. Mr. White has also served as Chairman of the Regeneration Committee (a sub committee of the Parish Council) but it was a period he subsequently described as the most frustrating of his Parish Council service.
During the interview for this story Mr. White was at pains to pay tribute to Jean Oates the Parish Clerk , for the help and support she has given him throughout his years of service.
Councillor White will be greatly missed by the Parish Council , his local knowledge, leadership , sense of humour , sensible and pragmatic views on planning decisions and overall steadying influence will leave a gap hard to fill.
PORTREATH MILLENNIUM COMMUNITY HALL
Due to the retirement of both the Treasurer and Bookings Secretary, the Management Team of the Millennium Community Hall would like to hear from people who would be interested in helping to run / manage the Hall.
It has operated as a successful village Hall for a number of years, but the management team would like to see more people being involved, coming in with fresh ideas and perhaps taking it in a different direction. There are lots of opportunities for enthusiastic people to make a difference and to be involved in an important community project, and which will give those involved with the Hall many opportunities to meet people.
For more information you can contact me on 01209 843873 and I will be happy to have an informal chat, provide you with further information and put you in touch with other committee members.
The AGM will be held in May/June, when everyone is welcome to attend – public Notices will be put up on the Notice Boards in the village to advertise the date nearer the time.
Secretary
A HUGE THANK YOU to Douglas McClure, who provided the village with an amazing opportunity to enjoy an evening of classical guitar music, which was held at the Millennium Community Hall last November. With over a hundred tickets being sold, we had a wonderful evening, with Douglas providing a full programme of music.
Douglas had put in a tremendous amount of effort and practice and the excellent feedback received demonstrated his hard work was worth it.
Many people commented on how much they enjoyed the evening, the generous buffet and the wine, and that it was a great way to meet up with friends and family and have the opportunity to experience something very different in our own village.
Thank you !
Harbour News
A draft copy of the feasibility study has been received by the parish council and the harbour steering committee. It comprises of a sixty page report of fairly technical reading so I hope a brief summary of my view of the report will give an overall picture. The full report will be available soon.
The council was encouraged to see the feasibility study agree in principle that regenerating Portreath harbour is consistent with other similar programmes within Cornwall, and if successful would strengthen the local economy, diversify business and provide employment opportunities.
The proposals however would depend on the long term structural stability of the harbour itself and here the feasibility study has put forward some searching considerations. The engineers have concluded that significant repairs are needed to all parts of the harbour, but in particular to the finger pier, and the cost estimates are therefore much higher than initially perceived.
The study estimates the capital costs to be in the range £11.3m - £14.4m - this is three to four times higher than estimates put forward in the lottery grant bid.
Funding it seems could also be a problem, the Heritage lottery fund would possibly make a contribution to the structures in a historical context but would not fund capital costs for lock gates or new buildings. The new convergence fund which is set to take over from objective one funding needs to see proof of significant economic benefit, so even if the marina and planned heritage centre were to go ahead, the employment of five or six people would probably not be enough to qualify.
The report lists a number of risks, top of the list comes technical and engineering issues and costs, including extensive repairs that are required to the finger pier and the harbour walls in the middle and inner harbour.
Technically, all these risks can be overcome at high cost but funding may not be available.
The report goes on to warn that any organisation or group that takes on such a financial risk could depend on individuals excepting personal liability and therefore this is another risk that no organisation or group could or would take responsibility for the scheme.
In conclusion the report asks whether ownership needs to be transferred from Kerrier District Council. A local group working closely with Kerrier to progress individual key projects within the harbour would be perhaps the way forward. This would of course depend on Kerrier agreeing to this approach.
This is a brief description of the draft feasibility study and there are many and varied interpretations that can be drawn from it, but overall the parish council believe that the proposed project cannot be taken into community ownership at this stage.
There are many meetings ahead with Kerrier District Council to find a way forward with our harbour. If nothing else this study has shown that the harbour needs urgent attention to its structure and ongoing maintenance.
This is not the end of the project but perhaps the beginning of a new direction.
Chris Watts
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