Design Statement

Restronguet Point, Harcourt and Porthgwidden – past, present and future

6.1 Design
6.2 Cornwall Design Policy, March 2009
6.3 Landscape character
6.4 The burning of garden waste
6.5 Trees and tree Preservation
6.6 English Nature
6.7 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
6.8 Fal and Helford candidate Special Area of Conservation
6.9 Sustainable development

6.9.1 Sustainable construction

6.9.2 Examples of sustainable designs, slipways and pontoons

6. General Design Considerations

6.1 Design

“Better by design, good design brings order out of chaos.”

The design community hailed the publication of PPS1, the government's overarching Planning Policy Statement, as a victory for the cause of design quality. Launched in February 2005 by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott the at the Delivering Sustainable Communities summit in Manchester, the new policy makes it clear that good design is now integral to the delivery of the planning process.

The document elevates good design on two fronts: as being indivisible from good planning and as a critical element in the delivery of sustainable development. The RIBA also applauded the emphasis placed on the need for future design policies to encourage innovation and originality. CABE, the government’s design champion, was similarly satisfied, stating that PPS1 had shifted the design test dramatically. Whereas the old PPG1 told planners to refuse bad design, the new PPS1 tells them to accept only good design. CABE declared that “Now mediocre is not enough.”

The central message of PPS1 is the primary directive to regional and local planning authorities to promote sustainable communities as required by the new Planning Act 2004 and reflected in the document's title Delivering Sustainable Development.

6.2 Cornwall Design Policy, March 2009

Last updated: 17/03/2009

Introduction

The design of highways is an integral part of the planning system and forms the future living environment and hence this document is intended to inform the formal design process. This document has been prepared with due regard to the advice and guidance available from government and from the various professional institutions concerned with the built environment. It builds upon local experience and the evolution of local guidance to provide a distinct view and approach applicable to Cornwall.

The content of this document generally applies to those developments proposals and highways which are generally accessed from roads other than Trunk Roads. The Highway Authority may refer the details to the Highways Agency. However for developments and highways which are accessed directly onto Trunk Roads, then it is suggested that direct discussions are held with the Highways Agency with respect to the access location and design.

This document sets out the highway design philosophy, design objectives and main mechanisms for highways in connection with new development proposals.

[ migrated from article id 15284 ]

It is of concern that the policy does not include architectural design, interior design, graphic design and product design. (John Crowther). May 2009.

Good design should be the aim of all involved in the design process and should be encouraged everywhere.

(DETR/CABE, By Design: Urban Design in the Planning System, 2000)

6.3 Landscape Character

The Cornwall Landscape Character Assessment (1994) identifies [The] Point within Character Area 7b, the Fal Ria. The assessment identifies “...patches of blackthorn, gorse and bracken all providing seasonal colour changes and important [wildlife] habitat”. In biodiversity terms native shrubs and trees provide food and nesting habitat for a variety of wild birds and an important early nectar source for butterflies and other insects. In this respect the native thorny shrubs found on [T]he Point are more characteristic and important in landscape and ecological terms than formal non-native planting. This warrants the retention of such features on [T]he Point.

There is evidence of fly tipping and burning of garden waste on Marble Head. Some management of vegetation and activities on The Point would be beneficial to visual amenity.

(Andrew Goodman, CCC County Ecologist, June 2005)

6.4 The burning of garden waste

The burning of garden waste should not be encouraged, or at the least be planned to avoid disturbance to neighbours.
It is recommended that garden waste be either composted or removed, off site. (JBC)

6.5 Trees and tree Preservation

6.5.1 Restronguet Point Tree Preservation Order 2006

The trees referred to in this Tree Preservation Order (TPO) are mainly situated in the gardens of properties located in the Restronguet Point and Harcourt area of Feock and are within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I am sure you will appreciate that in general they make a significant contribution to the character of the landscape and public amenity of the area.

The Restronguet Point area is currently subject to a 1958 TPO which was made with an area designation. Over time changes in legislation, geography, land use and tree cover dictate that effective tree protection is best served by reviewing TPOs. A critical consideration for the Council is that this TPO uses an area designation and only protect trees that were growing at the time it was made.

Felling of trees, new planting, natural regeneration and uncertainty as to the age of trees can make the situation confusing for the property owners. A completed and reviewed Order will make it very clear which trees are protected and bring real benefits to yourself as a tree owner.

Recent events have indicated to the Council that the review may in some circumstances stimulate the removal or damage of trees before the new Order can be made. The new Order Is an interim measure intended to protect the trees during the review. Although it has not been normal practice for the Council to make Interim Orders, in this case it seems expedient In the interests of amenity.

(Chris Hawley, Assistant Forestry Officer, Carrick District Council Development Services, 16 March 2006)

However, it is important also to recognise the issue that older trees, with dead wood, holes and fissures, provide important sites for other species.

(Roger Covey, English Nature)

6.6 English Nature

It is important also to recognise the issue that older trees, with dead wood, holes and fissures, provide important sites for other species.

A major group of Monterey Pines (Pinus Radiate) towards the end of the Point. The photograph on the right is taken from the former ninth hole, of the Porthgwidden golf course, now the lower level lawn to Bellevue.

6.7 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Restronguet Point lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is a small but special area situated midway between Truro and Falmouth as the crow flies, five miles south of Truro and five miles north of Falmouth. It is approximately three quarters of a mile in length and approximately one fifth of a square mile in area.

The natural beauty of the AONB is sensitive to a range of factors which generate change. While the AONB designation has guarded against major intrusive development, pressures on the landscape are likely to come in a number of ways as the economy and social structure of Cornwall evolves. In an open landscape such as Cornwall, change outside the AONB boundary is also likely to have an impact within it.
(CAMP 2004-9, §4.1.1)

6.71. 2009 is the 50th anniversary of the designation of over 25% of Cornwall as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The editors of St Feock Newsletter asked Peter Mansfield, who chairs the Cornwall AONB Partnership, to explain more about this familiar but rather elusive title.

What is an AONB?
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, along with National Parks, are considered to be the most special landscapes in the country and belong to an international family of protected areas - there are 41 AONBs in England and Wales. In Feock, the designation boundary brings the landscape east of a line between the heads of Penpol and Cowlands Creeks into the Mylor and Roseland section, one of twelve sections running from West Penwith to Bodmin Moor in the east.
The purpose of the AONB designation is to conserve and enhance the “natural beauty’ of the area. The designation gives formal recognition to an area’s landscape importance and through national, regional and local planning policies, allows for the development of communities and economic activity. In principle, development is only to be permitted in ways that enhance the landscape character of the AONB and which are genuinely sustainable.

Where do AONBs come from?
Strictly speaking, the answer is the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, but in a sense that was only the political response to public concern about ill considered change to precious landscapes (and a yearning for more public access).
Locally, in 1930 the CPRE catalogued the threats in a major publication: Cornwall — a Survey of its Coast, Moors and Valleys with suggestion for the preservation of Amenities.
Soon afterwards, the National Trust began its work of protecting Cornwall’s coastline through acquisition and management for public benefit, now covering over 40% of the coast.

In the 1980s, powerfully expressed public concern for West Penwith secured pioneering agri-funding to enable farmers to continue traditional husbandry by putting an economic value on conservation management alongside food production. Today virtually all farms are eligible for some level of similar funding with a significant beneficial impact on the landscape overall.

Without good public access, even the finest landscapes cannot be appreciated or enjoyed; Cornwall has had the benefit of a complete section of the South West Coast Path for over 30 years — a huge draw to visitors from across the world and a great asset for locals. Such access ensures that the quality of the landscape remains high in public awareness.

Until 2002, in Cornwall the AONB designation almost entirely resided in special policies in Structure and Local Plans, as required by central government planning guidance; in reality, sometimes planning decisions fail to follow policy. Local authorities, voluntary bodies and farming all worked within the AONB landscape (the core asset of tourism)) - but without any coordinating strategy. Elsewhere, AONBs had well established Partnerships but in Cornwall, lack of targeted resources had discouraged this. However, in 2000 new legislation brought National Parks and AONBs much closer together by clarifying that their landscapes are of equal value, requiring local authorities to have management plans for their AONB and crucially, introducing 75% funding from central government to set up independently voiced AONB Partnerships, serviced by small staff units. So, since 2002 Cornwall has started to catch up, with a Partnership to champion the AONB designation and encourage collaborative working to an agreed Management Plan.

And tomorrow?
The switch from seven local authorities to one has fundamentally changed the makeup of the Partnership and a new structure is emerging which will embrace the 18 new Community networks which include the AONB within their boundary. A new AONB management plan is being worked up to include local chapters for each of the twelve areas to better engage local land managers and communities.

The planning system is undergoing considerable change; the AONB Partnership needs to contribute strategically to ensure landscape considerations remain central to policies — and decisions. The Regional Spatial Strategy places considerable development assumptions on Cornwall; there remains a great need for affordable housing. The AONB designation is not intended to fossilise the landscape - new housing is not precluded. But, in general there is a strong case for restricting this to affordable housing tied to local needs, since the supply of developable land in a nationally protected landscape must be very finite - if the designation is to have any real-meaning.

Economic times are tough; there will be more pressure for expedient decisions on occasions. But with a conscience about future generations and their quality of life, carefully considered policies and genuinely sustainable decisions should prevail. A sobering test is perhaps how well Cornwall might handle a Donald Trump-scale development proposal, say for the unspoilt Roseland Peninsula?

The Cornwa!l Lecture 2008 was designed as “A Celebration of our landscape” with a visionary presentation by Cornishman, Professor Robert Tregay “Could Cornwall have it all?” supported by Professor Adrian Philips’s “Look after the Landscape — and it will look after you”. Both can be found on the very comprehensive CAONB web site www.cornwall-aonb,gov.uk (look under News — Cornwall Lecture 2008).

Locally, Feock PC is a great supporter of the AONB; the public consultation which informed the Feock Parish Plan brought out how strongly people feel about their landscape (and seascape) and the mixed record of its care to date. The Parish Plan Working Groups continue and are a good way of getting more involved with ambitions for a Local Landscape Character Assessment and Village Design Statement to produce better development proposals and decisions.

Refer to, www.cornwall-aonb,gov.uk

Peter Mansfield. (September 2009).

6.8 Fal and Helford candidate Special Area of Conservation

The current final draft of this scheme, under consideration by a range of relevant authorities, contains a list of activities within an action plan which can impact this designated area. The CSAC abuts Restronguet Point and activities directly related to The Point could include the laying of new moorings, recreational activities and planning and development control, including slipways and water access.

6.9 Sustainable development

Sustainable development has been defined as “…meeting the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future”. (Brundtland 1987)

The Government is committed to sustainable development and has set out its approach in A Better Quality of Life: A Strategy for Sustainable Development in the UK ([DETR] 1999). The strategy is based on four broad objectives:

Minimizes non-renewable resource consumption.
Enhances the natural environment.
Eliminates use of known toxins.
Involves local people and materials.
Utilizes natural light, warmth, water, shelter, convection and conduction.

(ODPM PPG12, 4 Sustainable Development)

6.9.1 Sustainable construction

Minimizes non-renewable resource consumption.
Enhances the natural environment.
Eliminates use of known toxins.
Involves local people and materials.
Utilizes natural light, warmth, water, shelter, convection and conduction.

(Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust, http://www.csbt.org.uk)

6.9.2 Examples of sustainable designs, slipways and pontoons

Sustainable development doesn’t mean curtailing development; it merely means thinking about achieving development objectives in new ways which don’t damage the environment. There are a number of examples of good practice from around the Fal and Helford area which achieve objectives in new ways.

Recently, slipways have generally been constructed from mass concrete, resulting in permanent loss of habitat beneath the structure and high environmental cost in materials and transportation. However, a new slipway construction at Stoneybrooke has used a piled and decked structure made from steel and wood. The advantages are numerous: natural shoreline plants and animals can colonise beneath the slipway; the environmental costs of construction are substantially reduced; and when it is no longer required, the structure can easily be removed with minimal effort.

Slipway to Tregarrick.

Slipways to The Boathouse (rear) and to Stoneybrooke.

The existing slipway to Tregarrick is shown in the top picture. The slipway to The Boathouse (picture above, rear) consists of reinforced concrete suspended above the foreshore by concrete piers. It was built during the inter-war years. The slipway in the foreground of the picture, below Stoneybrooke, is constructed of suspended steel and timber.

The Ports of Truro and Penryn have been seeking better ways of managing pontoons within the harbour. One way they have reduced the environmental costs of pontoon construction is by using decking made from recycled plastic. This provides a good use for recycled materials and reduces the need for maintenance.

The Fal has always been an important transport artery, for both passengers and cargo. Until recently, it was easier to shift goods around the area by boat rather than by road. Recently though, the use of the river as a means of transport has received a boost through the Fal River links project. This provides an integrated network of boat transport, encouraging less car journeys and greater appreciation of the local environment.
(Roger Covey, Maritime Conservation Officer, English Nature, July 2005)

A selection of archive photographs of slipways on The Point, circa 1985. (JBC)