Annual General Meeting
23^rd October 2002

This year’s Annual General Meeting will be held at Mawgan Village Hall on Wednesday 23 October 2002, commencing at 7.00pm.  This will allow half-an-hour before the start of the formal business at 7.30pm, giving time for refreshments on arrival and the viewing and judging of the various photographic competition categories.  After the formal business, the main event of the evening will be a talk by Jonathon Coudrille, the well-known local and national artist and musician, on painting on the Lizard.  This will be followed by the results of the photographic competitions, judged by Jonathon, and the presentation of prizes and the Avril Evens Cup for the overall winner.

Further refreshments will allow time for members to enjoy the rest of the evening in an informal atmosphere.  Please make every effort to attend, bringing a friend or potential member if you wish, and help to make this a memorable occasion.  Full details of the programme are enclosed with this Newsletter.

Gweek Quay Update

In our last Newsletter, we reported that there had been a meeting on 24 June in Camborne, involving Kerrier District Council, DeFRA, English Nature and the Environment Agency.  This allowed all the concerned authorities to discuss their strategy over how to resolve the problem of future enforcement action on the boatyard development.  Currently, the authorities are seeking ways to remove the tipped materials from the creek.  Advice has been commissioned and received from a recognised expert in this field to the effect that removal is perfectly feasible and desirable.

The local Gweek Protection Group considers that this is the moment, while the relevant authorities are discussing all options, that our opinion is reiterated to all of them.  By use of our local MPs, Candy Atherton and Andrew George, the Protection Group’s concerns have recently been commented on by Michael Meacher, Minister of State for the Environment.  He appears concerned that any large removal works may cause inconvenience to local residents due to increased haulage traffic through the village.  However, the Protection Group’s view is that traffic need not go through the village centre and doubt that those who may be temporarily inconvenienced would mind, if the result is the restoration of the creek that has been sought for such a long time.

In support of our friends in the Gweek Protection Group, we have written to the Secretary of State, with copies to local MPs and Kerrier District Council, asking for the full restoration of the creek by the removal of all illegally dumped material.

Listening to the Lizard

On Saturday 21 September, the Cornwall County Council hosted half-day meetings at Mullion Secondary School, to discuss facilities and services that should be provided for the Lizard Peninsula area.  Friends of the Lizard was invited to send two representatives and David Richardson and Tim Hawkins attended.  Geoff Tate (Assistant Chief Executive) chaired the event and the main speakers were Dave Lewis (Countryside Officer for the Lizard) and Mary Cooper (Assistant Director for Education, Arts and Libraries).  Major concerns expressed by the speakers and the audience were an ageing population and falling school rolls, placing at risk Primary schools at Cury and Manaccan;  lack of local needs ‘affordable’ housing;  lack of job opportunities and the poor pay of jobs;  poor public transport links;  and the need to protect the environment.  Those attending were divided into groups for ‘brainstorming sessions’, giving opportunities for expressing particular concerns and offering possible solutions.

There was a clear division between those who considered that the planning policies that aim to give protection to the high quality of the Lizard’s environment to be a hindrance to resolving the concerns, and those who considered that the environment should be protected as an asset, particularly to tourism.  Our representatives made three particular points:  Firstly, that local needs affordable housing should comply with policies in the Structure and Local Plans, Design Guidance etc and not receive privileged planning permission;  secondly, that there is a need for special training of school leavers to provide the next generation of specialist in traditional building skills such as stonemasons, thatchers etc;  thirdly, that modern, high-technology jobs could be expanded on the Lizard, without damaging its unique environment.

The day concluded with a County Council undertaking to consider all of the views put forward, with the possibility of future follow-up events.