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Design Statement replaces DESIGN STATEMENT

To help it reach as many residents as possible, the Design Statement is now online. Its website has been designed professionally by Creative Edge of Truro.

News

This website is managed, edited and funded by John Crowther, a member of the committee.

The news section is updated on a regular basis, the views expressed in the newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of the members of the committee.

The website is monitored by Google Analytical.

The Google analytical programme has been active since October 2007. From October 2007 to September 8 2008 there were  3004 visits from 83 countries. The majority of enquiries came from the UK, the USA, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Canada, and France. Amongst the most unexpected, Malta, Benin, Israel,Togo,Slovakia and Ghana.

Panama, Kenya, Lithuania, Nigeria, Uganda, Bulgaria, Norway, Luxembourg, Dominican Republic, Falkland Islands, Ukraine, Serbia, Pakistan, Colombia, Saudy Arabia,Mexico, Cambodia, Kuwait, Tanzania, Mauritius, Slovakia and Samoa.

The sorry state of planning

The government’s thorough report on the planning system is worth reading for anyone who doubts we are in a high old mess and have been for a long time.

By far the most serious problem is the lack of suitably trained and experienced planning officers. It is not that no one wants to be a planner, they just don’t want to work in the public sector.

The government has been aware of this for some time and has been vainly throwing money at the problem. By far the most costly project has been the Academy of Sustainable Communities, which appears to be more or less a waste of time. With a massive budget it has only managed to make a marginal improvement to the skills shortage, and must surely be soon for the chop.

Meanwhile the committed local authority planners not yet lured to greener pastures continue to have their patience tested. There are the endless centrally set targets that make it difficult to see the bigger picture. There is also low pay, lack of status and a poor public image.

And there is the sheer amount of work which strains the resources of most departments, all in the knowledge that local councillors, with no training, make the real decisions.

Planning is in meltdown and no one is quite sure what to do about it. But the rather grim prognosis from MPs this week is that time is running out.

(LEADER, Amanda Baillieu, Building Design, July 25, 2008).

Summer Barbeque at Bellevue

(©, FreeRange, www.peartreeheybridge.co.uk)

Mans last great challenge

The BBQ at bellevue was postponed from the fourth of July to the eighteenth of July and then regrettably cancelled due to the forecasted inclement weather.  Fifty six residents and Friends, some members, some not, had accepted the invitation. Many thanks to the members of the BBQ committee, and in particular, Wendy Gladwyn, Jonathan Dean and Gunni Crowther for the time they spent in arrangeing the event. Also thanks to those many friends who offered to provide material support, barbeque equipment, furniture food and items for the raffle.

 

On a more positive note I suggest that for the next event, dependant on weather, we send out open invitations, check the long term weather forecasts for a cleat 10 day period and then send out the emails or phone calls to confirm the new arrangements with payment on the day. Let us hope that we have better luck next time. JBC.

Minutes of the Committee Meetings

The approved minutes of committee meeting are posted on this site by accessing, FRP MINUTES. Comments may be made to the secretary by Email by accessing "Contact Us" from the main memory.

Designs for a better future

Richard Simmons, head of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, tells Emily Ford that good design lies at the heart of a safer, more secure society

DESIGN may not seem the obvious way to solve problems as diverse and far-reaching as bullying in schools, car vandal ism and the security of our national food supply.

But Richard Simmons, chief executive of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe), believes that better design is the answer to almost all our social problems — or at least, a significant part of it. Too often the social function of design isn’t taken into account, he says. In 1999, CABE was set up to address the problem.

“The Government recognised that we weren’t getting good enough design in the places where we live, where we work, where we go to school”

Where we live is at the heart of Cabe’s work The commission has just finished a three-year audit of new housing, looking at design quality. “About a third of the housing that’s been built over the past ten years should never have been given planning permission because it’s simply too poor,” he says. Only about 5 per cent is really good. A third of people think their neighbourhood is unsafe for children and 48 per cent say there is not enough space to play, he says. On many estates the only public space is the car park.

“Kids play on and around the cars, so why do you think your car gets damaged?” he says. Developers, many of whom work to a short-term financial model; are partly responsible. Open spaces cost money often councils consider it the Developers’ responsibility and vice versa “Some one has to think about the whole estate, not just the house you buy.”

So who should take responsibility? “Everyone. It’s in all our interest to make places sustainable.” His faith in the individual’s ability to change things nears the point of ideal-ism. Those with buying power can demand better neighbour- hoods; developers seduce people with the property, not its surroundings. “You step outside the soft-focus kitchen, the world comes into sharp focus,” he says.

Car dependency is a critical design failing. For many people on estates, the nearest shop is five miles away, Cabe found. “There’s a big onus on the public to say ‘we can’t afford big estates in the middle of nowhere’,” he says. It is symptomatic of a wider problem. “Planners haven’t got their heads around sustainability,” he says. Of 700 s surveyed, just seven add sustainability. One city building used a biofuels burner with the wood chips driven in from the countryside by lorry. Yet “About a third ofthe housing built in the past ten years should never have been given planning permission”

Zero-carbon homes are having a tangible effect, he says. Gripes that they are unfeasible are based on single-home costings. “Developers are very good at mass production and getting things cheaply.” Cabe supports even tougher compulsory targets.

Eco-towns are the big sister of low-carbon homes. Simmons, who sits on the Eco town Challenge Panel set up to test the idea, says that the existing built environment is the more pressing issue.

We want a strategy that makes all our towns and cities eco-towns and cities.” He is concerned that eco-towns will be seen as off-grid retreats for a green elite. “Everyone should be able to live a green lifestyle conveniently. There is a real worry that being green is seen as something that only the rich can afford.” Even if eco-towns don’t mineralise, “we will have learnt a lot from the process,” he says.

At a micro level, issues of national security — food and energy supply — all come back to design. Giving residents space to grow vegetables would improve food security in a shaky economic climate, he says “These sound like big issues for a design organisation. But how we design our places has a big impact on how we live our lives.”

URBAN HUB 2008

For the first time at the annual party political conferences in September, there will be a co-ordinated programme of fringe events on urban issues. The Urban Hub will bring together Cabe, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Centre for Cities, the Core Cities Group and the Work Foundation for a series of panel discussions on the issues affecting cities - including housing and neighbourhoods, transport and the role of businesses in city governance. Public Agenda and The Times will be the media partner for all 24 events.

For further Information, visit www.urban-hub.org

RIBA South West Regional Award

Congratulations to Charles Hancock a member of the FRP committe and architects Muma of London to have scored a double by being awarded RIBA South West Regional Awards for the Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange Gallery, Penzance. Charles is the Chairman of the galleries.

Built Environment

Blears advocates parish power.

Communities secretary Hazel Blears has announced plans to boost the parish as a unit of local democracy.

Speaking in Eastbourne to resentatives of parish councils last week, she outlined plans to make it easier to bring local experts onto parish councils to help drive key priorities including the built environment and place-making.

Blears claimed the small size of parishes belied their ability to address quality-of-life issues such as parks, trees and allotments, community halls and litter.

A white paper containing proposals to reinvigorate local democracy and devolve power to the grass roots is due within weeks.

Building Design, 30.05.2008

The village of Feock and immediate surrunding areas

Following the completion of the Design Statement for the Friends of Restronguet Point, I considered that it might be useful to include a selection of the interesting buildings within the village of Feock and the its neighbourhood vicinity to support and complement the Feock Parish Plan which may be found at the following website. (http://www.feockpc.com/)

This is a preliminary exercise. I welcome constructive comments in order that the document may be corrected and expanded to be useful to the residents of the village of Feock.

The record of listed buildings in the Parish of Feock may be found at English Heritage, National Monuments Record, Feock, whose website is:

http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/QuickResults/Default.aspx

A Basic Search for 'Feock' found 78 Listed buildings, listed within the area of Feock, (Within the search box, type “Feock” for further details and photographs). My compilation of interesting buildings (with photographs and commentary) is:

The Parish Church of Saint Feock

The Methodist Chapel at Goonpiper

The Society of Friends Meeting House

Trelissick

The Feock Parish Council

Post war award winning buildings.

   Creek Vean House

   Pillwood, Pill Creek

Former Inn at Lane End

The St Feock Reading Room

The Old Vicarage, the St Feock Church Hall

The Former Feock School

The Pump and the Well at La Feock

The Old Post Office

Ferris Garage Limited

King Harry Steam Ferry Company Limited

Loe Beach, Cornwall

Loe Beach Water sports Centre

The Truro River Rowing Club and Truro Gig Club

Loe Beach, the future

The 35 page document can be accessed, at

www.restronguetpoint.co.uk  Section 9, Appendix 11

(John Crowther)

“Better design, Better places”.

EMMA CORLETT

Western Morning News  Thursday January 31 2008.

The South West is lacking architectural ambition and needs to increase its commitment to design quality, according to ‘Better design, Better places”, the first publication to be released by the South West Design Review Panel.

The panel is a partnership between Creating Excellence, the regional centre of excellence for sustainable communities, and The Architecture Centre, Bristol.

Marking the second anniversary of the South West Design Review Panel, the new report brings together the findings from 70 schemes reviewed since its inception.

The 30-strong panel brings together a wealth of expertise in architecture, planning and urban design and is chaired by Peter Clegg, co-founder of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios of Bath and London, which was recently named Architectural Practice of the Year.

Thinking about the panel’s findings from cases reviewed, Mr Clegg said:

“Our overriding concern is a lack of architectural ambition. We must as a region both understand our heritage and help to create our future heritage. Too many schemes are tamely doing what was done before, what is easy or what seems to be a safe bet.”

The main aim of Better design, Better places is to increase understanding of what makes a well designed development. It includes an essential checklist of ten key points that the South West Design Review panel has identified through its first two years of work and deems critical to the success of projects.

These are:

• Public Realm: think through spaces between buildings.
• Transport: don’t leave strategy to others when every scheme can play a   part.
• Precedents: questionable examples will not impress
• Context: show the scheme in its vicinity and community.
• Scale: explain the relationship of the buildings to the surrounding built  environment and the human scale.
• Identity: iconic or modest, a building needs a clear identity. -
• Sustainability: it is time for fundamental commitment to the environment, not vague aspiration.
• Materia!s: don’t overdo it, less can be more.
• Robustness: make your scheme future-proof,
• Ambition: be creative, take risks, raise the game.

Talking about the ten points, Mark Pearson, head of design at Creating Excellence, said: This checklist has been compiled as both a practical guide and hopefully an inspiration to all involved with development in the South West,

• The South West Design Review Panel welcomes suggestions ‘of schemes to be reviewed E-mail dip@architecturecentre.co.uk or contact Timothy Cantell manager of the South West Design Review Panel. To download a free copy of “Better design, Better places”, visit www.creatingexcellence.org.uk and click on “design” or for a hard copy contact Mark Pearson on 01823 250821 or email mark.pearson@creatingexcellence.org.uk

The Feock Parish Plan

The Feock Parish Plan 2007, Carnon Downs, Devoran, Point, Penpol, Feock has been published and is available from the Feock Parish Office.

The document is of a high quality of design and content and a credit to those many members of the community who freely gave their time to the project.

I am concerned that "Design and Setting, Historic Areas, Grass Verges, Access to Highways, Pleasant Gardens and Boundries headings, take such a very low priority in the views of residents. This may explain why there is so little concern amongst residents on The Point in respect of the development of the verges, crossovers and the removal of the overhead service cables. (JBC)

‘Broadband Is proving a major boost to economic success’

Somerset has become the broadband capital of Britain replacing Cornwall after scoring the highest take-up of the new technology in the country, according to the latest figures from British Telecom

Cornwall remains in second place with a close 46.3 per cent take-up rate, while Oxfordshire is now third at 45.1 per cent.

The Isles of Scilly continues to do very well with a take-up rate 48.8 per cent, but as it is nor a county it does not feature separately in the listings

The figures confirm that the South West as a whole is the most “switched on” English region with a take-up rate for ADSL Broadband 37.8 per cent well ahead of the national average of 29.0 per cent.

(Emma Corlett, Western Morning News, Thursday, January 17, 2008).

REVIEW PANELS: DEATH SENTENCE, NO APPEAL The RIBA is celebrating the demise of the local member review panel policy proposed by the government as part of the Planning Bill, which would have seen local councillors sitting in judgement on planning appeals for minor domestic projects. Speaking for the government at the beginning the bill's second reading in the Lords, Baroness Andrews said the government now planned to drop the plan. 'We have listened carefully to stakeholder views on this provision and concluded that, while it may bring some benefit, it risks distracting local authorities, particularly at a time when there is an urgent need for them to focus on strategic plans and issues,' she said. Stakeholders campaigning vigorously against the idea, which would have ended any right to an 'independent' appeal again planning decisions, included the RIBA and the RTPI.

(RIBA,July, 2008).

Proposed Information sign at the end of the Point

In the early stages of the writing of the VDS, now the DS, Martin Woodley, Senior Planning Officer, CDC, suggested that a sign be provided adjacent to the seat donated by the Restronguet Creek Society at the end of the Point to set out the history of the saw pit. Later, Wendy Letcher also proposed that a sign be erected and more recently Tom Rouncefield suggested that the text and photographs should refer not only to the saw pit but also to the history of the area viewed from the seat. Also to the former ferry crossing to The Pandora Inn which in earlier times was the main route from Truro to Falmouth.

Nicholas Johnson, Historic Environment Manager, CCC has arranged for Mike Tippett, Studio Manager, Communications Unit, CCC, to supply advice, on production, materials and costs

 

Items suggested being included on the sign.

A World Heritage Site, 2006

Alluvial tin mining at  Carnon Mine.

Barges

Boat building below Harcourt

Deep Anchorage for 30 schooners

Derivation of the name “Restronguet”

Location Map

Pollution: the Wheal Jane incident

Restronguet Passage

Rowing races

The Pandora Inn

The saw pit

Wheal Jane accident

The Oyster fishermen

(JBC, July 2007). 

 

A sponsor or sponsors are sought to raise approximately £2000 for the sign.

It is anticipated that in due course when final costs are established The Feock Parish Council and the Restronguet Creek Society together with the Friends will financially support the proposal. The Friends are grateful to the FPC and the RCS for their support. (JBC).

15M high Telecommunications mast opposite the end of The Point..

 

The Friends of Restronguet Point formerly opposed the planning application in a letter dated 2 July 2007 from the Chairman to Lyndon Westlake, Carrick Development Services. The letter to be regarded as a suitable notice of opposition.

 

Committee Meeting held on the 8th August 2007

The Chairman reported that he had sent the letter opposing the proposed position ot the mast with a suggestion for an alternative position which was more screened from the Cartick Roads.

Recently he has learned that the application for the mast has been withdrawn.

Planning system gone wrong?

Ian Lamond, Partner, Stephens & Scown, Solicitors.

At no time has the need for effective and timely planning been more important. Ian Lamond, Partner and Team Leader of Stephens & Scown’s planning team was invited to contribute an overview on the planning process to the second Cornwall Lecture Workshop held in Pool.

The following article is a revised summary.

It is the Government’s view that the town and country planning system is too bureaucratic, takes too long and is unpredictable. In its latest White Paper the Government proposes to introduce, first, a brand new system for handling national infrastructure projects and, second a substantial number of “improvements” to the existing planning regime. The purpose of these proposals is to enable the planning system to better support economic growth in a way consistent with social and environmental objectives. The reforms will be introduced in a Planning Reform Bill before the end of 2007.

As a planning and environmentalist, I find myself in an ambivalent position about these proposals. In my experience, most decisions to grant planning permission are unpopular with various members of the public. Will the reforms make any difference?

The Governments view is that discussions at the early stages in the formulation of development proposals will overcome disputes about what may be proposed. As part of this approach, the Government has introduced a new decision making process within local government — in the Local Government Act 2000.

It is impossible to disagree with such an aspiration. What I dispute is whether the Government needs to embark on wholesale reforms as part of a utopian vision for promoting economic growth. Utopian visions work when directed at reviving places such as St Austell in the form of the Eden Project or the recent proposal for making Par Docks a world-class sailing venue after clay export operations cease at the end of 2007. They do not work when applied to political and administrate systems for granting planning permissions. Aspirations for improving our planning system need to be brought down to earth. Most of the answers to the defects in our planning regime can be achieved by practical and relatively straightforward procedural changes.

To do this each council is responsible for preparing a plan called the Sustainable Community Strategy, which sets out its objectives, policies and investment programmes.

The infrastructure required by each local authority is delivered through planning permissions  Funding for these projects will be through Local Area Agreements which are contracts between the Government and the local authorities. Because all these plans and agreements are made at the local level the Government believes disputes about proposals for development will be much reduced. Is this likely?

I believe that this is wholly unrealistic. There will always be conflicts and disputes about developments. They will lead to delays. It’s just a fact of life.

A recent survey of public attitudes to property development revealed that 83% of people wanted no more development in their local area, only 7% had ever actively supported a planning application and 16% had  opposed a planning application, Impact on property values, loss of community character, traffic growth and adverse impact on the environment were the most common reason for opposing development. Furthermore, 7O% of the public saw a council candidate’s attitudes to planning as important in how they placed their vote in local elections.

So is it all just about politics? Well — yes it is. The Government, for instance, has a utopian vision that a new Infrastructure Planning Commission will take decisions on individual major infrastructure projects and not local authorities. Is it really the case that a group of experts can make such momentous decisions when they have not been elected? Experts are respected and trusted for their knowledge and pursuit of scientific truth.

Decisions on planning applications are not about the pursuit of scientific truth but about reaching a consensus or understanding in a locality about the form and nature of a development. The views of experts are no more reliable or trustworthy than councillors when considering planning applications.

There are more practical proposals from the Government for strengthening the planning system. The new jargon expression for this is “place shaping”. The aspiration is to integrate policies influencing the natures of places and how they function and to go beyond traditional land use planning.

In any event, many delays in obtaining planning permissions arise from having to assess the environmental effects of a development. These delays have nothing to do with the planning system itself. It is all about protecting the environment. The controls for protecting the environment — introduced by European legislation — will remain the same whatever changes happen to the planning system.

There are inevitable tensions between an efficient planning system on the one hand and environmental protection and reducing global warming on the other Most problems however can be solved with goodwill and extensive thought. This may be hard to do but it is the only way to leave our descendants with the highest possible quality of life.

Friends of Restronguet Point website awarded, Website of the Month

http://www.restronguetpoint.co.uk

This website, designed by Creative Edge of Truro, has been given recognition in the September 2006 issue of the magazine Cornwall Today, which has awarded it the title “Website of the Month”:

Determined to protect their beautiful corner of Cornwall this waterside community has taken the step of publishing their wishes for the future of their community on-line. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, alongside a tranquil creek branching out from the busier Carrick Roads, you can understand their concern. Residents are hoping the document will be used to assist Carrick District Council make decisions on planning development in the area. You can also get a closer look at the area through nostalgic photos, maps and an events listing.

The website also made news in the July 6 issue of the Truro Packet
Restronguet Point leads the way.

Truro-based design agency Creative Edge was commissioned to design and launch the Friends of Restronguet Point website, publishing one of the only DESIGN STATEMENTs in Cornwall and thought to be among the first in the county to be accessible via the internet

DESIGN STATEMENTs were launched in 1996 as part of the Countryside Agency “Design in the Countryside Initiative”, which was a mechanism to encourage new development to respect the character of its location.

David Rickett, managing director of Creative Edge said: ‘The primary objective of the website is to convey the message of the Village Design Statement. Because the Restronguet Point website is also likely to be picked up by general internet searches, as well as those specifically looking for the DESIGN STATEMENT, we felt it had an important secondary role, that of promoting Restroriguet Point, its natural beauty to people from around the world. Therefore, the design we applied needed to reflect the project’s ethos of good design and complement the area’s dramatic scenery.

One of the Friends’ of Restronguet Points’ original objectives was to encourage good planning policies and as a consequence it prepared the Guidelines for Property Development on Restronguet Point in 2004, before being prompted to draft the DESIGN STATEMENT in the hope that it would be adopted by Carrick District Council.

Derek Reed, Chairman of the Friends, said: “We felt it was essential that the Design Statement was published on the internet in order to communicate with as many people as possible. The project focuses on the regions diversity, its local distinctiveness and the harmony between buildings, settlements and the landscape. DESIGN STATEMENTs are seen as mechanisms to encourage any new development to respect the character of its location, added Mr Reed. They are an opportunity for local people to play a constructive part in enhancing development in their area through encouraging good and sustainable design for future generations.

We are pleased that Cornwall Today and the Truro Packet have given space in their publications to highlight the Restronguet Point website. It is another way residents can remind local, district and county authorities of their views about the development of their environment and the preservation of their heritage”. (Derek Reed, Chair of The Friends of Restronguet Point).

 

Comments on the DS

Nicholas Johnson  MBE. MA. Bsc. FSA. MIFA., 09.08.07

Historic Environment Manager, Environment and Heritage, Cornwall County Council.

“Many thanks for sending me this. I have looked through it with great interest and congratulate you and your colleagues for such a detailed and useful piece of work. The great thing about having it on the web is that periodic changes can be made without the great expenses of reprinting!

The Conservation Area appraisal for Devoran is in progress and many of the issues to do with trees, boundary walls, cobbled surfaces etc are also coming up as they have for the Point. It is so important to keep the historic character of an area whilst at the same time welcoming quality new build and innovative solutions to current problems. We would love to underground the awful wirescape in Devoran.”   

Mark Pearson, Head of Design South West. 13.08.2007,

creating:excellence / Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

I have now had a proper opportunity to have a look at the Design Statement and I realise what an extraordinary piece of work it is – very well done to you and your group!  It’s a fantastic collection of information and thoughts.  I hope you don’t mind me citing it as an exemplar that others might learn from?

M  Utton, New Mexico, USA.  28.07.07

“Tremendous amount of work to produce such a comprehensive, clear, persuasive and erudite exposition of the subject. The production and arrangement is so wonderfully spare and yet encompassing, readily understandable. Surely all the people involved in the production of this and who live in the area will rally to the cause and be a powerful lobby--after all, it's so much to their advantage”.

Ingrid Heseltine, De Facto. 01.08.07

“Congratulations on a wonderful finished product”.

Barry Simpson, Historian, Devoran, 07.08.07.

“Dermot Shire (Chair Restronguet Creek Society) has sent me an email containing the FRP Design Statement for comment. My particular sphere has been the local history of this area.

The Design Statement a comprehensive and beautifully produced document”

(Barry Simpson made several constructive comments, all of which have been incorporated within the Statement, JBC)

The following comments are in response to earlier drafts of the previous DESIGN STATEMENT.

 

Mr Richard Fish, Director, CCC Planning, Transportation and Estates,

21 June 2005

Thank you for your letter of 17 April and copy of your draft DESIGN STATEMENT. I found this to be a very professional and well-researched document which I am sure will be of considerable benefit to the Community.

Mr. J. Anthony Dyson,  Chairman and Secretary, Planning and Environmental Matters Sub-Committee, Restronguet Creek Society

June 2005

Thank you for sending me a copy of the draft Village Design Statement, a most professional production. I shall pass it onto the other two members of my sub-committee and to Alan Williams, the Society’s Chairman.

Mr Phil Dyke,  National Trust Property Manager, East and Mid-Cornwall Office

11 May 2005

In general the document is excellent and a very worthwhile exercise. The focus on working to reduce the number of overhead cables and introduce traffic calming measures are laudable long-term objectives.

Mr Roger Covey, Maritime Conservation Officer, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Team, English Nature

24 June 2005

The concept of the DESIGN STATEMENT is a welcome step forward in a local community getting involved in the planning process and environmental protection/enhancement. There is much in the document that English Nature supports.

Mr Nicholas Johnson, MBE, CCC Historic Environment Manager, Environment and Heritage

29 June 2005

The document is clearly set out and the historical background is well-researched. There are a number of historical facts that will be very useful to our Historic Environment Record. I have passed it in front of my Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Bid colleagues who note that the proposed World Heritage Site comes downriver as far as Point Quay and the island and does not directly impinge on the village area. When the final version is printed we would welcome a copy so that it can go into the Cornwall Historic Environment Record archive. We can then use it as an exemplar for other villages.

Mr Martin Woodley, then Local Plans Officer, Local Plans Team, COC Community Planning Department

30 June 2005

My comments are based on the second draft version of the Design Statement received towards the end of May 2005. The layout and structure of the document reads and flows well with the initial sections setting the scene in defining the area, its character and special qualities and the current issues.

I am reassured that the issues of sustainable design and construction have been stressed in the document. The submitted draft version reads as an impressive and well-researched document that should have the ability to provide clear and focused guidance for the management of future changes and developments along The Point.

I look forward to receiving a copy of the final version in order for its ultimate status to be determined and established within the Council’s policy guidance.

A further draft version was forwarded in August 2005.

Mr Paul Walton, Cornwall AONB Partnership Manager

8 August 2005

Many thanks for sending me the final draft of the Village Design Statement. It has been fascinating to observe how the project has developed from the original discussions.

Overall I think the document has resulted in an extremely useful examination of the

historical interest of the area and the identification of some of the development issues that affect the character of the area.

If the documents to be given weight by planning officers and organizations such as funding bodies it is important that residents and local people have the opportunity to comment on the document and shape its content. The views of the residents of The Point will be important and it might be worth keeping a record of all the comments you receive once the document is deposited at the Parish Council.

(Mr Paul Walton also suggested that a DESIGN STATEMENT be written, JBC)

Mr Alan Truan, Clerk and Treasurer, Feock Parish Council

4 January 2006

I am very happy to confirm following our meeting with the Friends, that the VDS will be considered for incorporation in some way into the Parish Plan in due course. This will be a natural process and will, I have no doubt, lead to Supplementary Planning Guidance.

(The Carrick District Council decided not to approve the VDS as a Supplementary Planning Guidance Document. The Design Statement is designed to supplement and read in conjunction with the Feock Parish Plan).

(JBC, August 2007).

Membership Report

There are 30 paid-up members at 17.05.08

AGM, 2007, Verges.

Concern at the recent fashion for building over the CCC verges was expressed by several members at the 2007 AGM.

The verges to the CCC highway are almost entirely within the ownership of the Cornwall County Council

The traditional appearance of the CCC Highway on The Point is gradually being marred. by the construction of dwarf, non indigenous stone retaining walls to the CCC verges.

The former tarmac crossovers to several properties have been paved with non indigenous coloured concrete or clay paviours. Dry stone Cornish hedges have been replaced by non indigenous stone walling with mortar joints.

All works to the verge require permission from the owners, the Cornwall County Council, not the Planning Authority. Prior permission should also be obtained from the CCC for planting on the verges.

The Friends are grateful to the owner of Stoneybrooke for reinstating a little over half the length of the verge to the road frontage with the suppport of the CCC.