|
Gweek Quay - update: The Gweek Quay saga, arising from the boatyard’s illegal dumping of vast amounts of waste material into the Helford River, has now been going for several years. The local Gweek Protection Group was set up to seek the cessation of this activity and full restoration of the site, and has had full on-going support from Friends of the Lizard. We said in the last Newsletter that the Local Government Ombudsman’s report on his investigations into several local complaints, about Kerrier’s inaction in this case, has been awaited since early 2002. However, his report is now in the public domain and Kerrier District Council, to its credit, has sent Friends of the Lizard a complimentary copy. Set out, below, is a verbatim transcript of the Report Summary that is self-explanatory: “Subject: Five complaints about the Council’s failure to take appropriate action to control unauthorised development at a boatyard, which dominates a small village. The development affects a Listed Building and an ecologically sensitive river estuary. Other statutory agencies are involved at the site. Planning application to regularise the position not complete until three years after the Council was first aware of the development. Application called in by Secretary of State, subsequently withdrawn before inquiry held. Delay by the Council in taking enforcement action. Two of the complaints also concern delay by the Council in investigating a report of an unauthorised building on the boundary of the boatyard, affecting the amenity of a neighbouring property. Finding: Unauthorised tipping – Maladministration causing injustice – delay by the Council in bringing the matter to Committee for consideration of enforcement action, ineffective action to obtain a planning application, delay in taking enforcement action and failure to arrange a co-ordinated response to the situation. Unauthorised building – Maladministration causing injustice – delay in investigating report of unauthorised building. Recommended remedy: The Council to pursue the enforcement action against the unauthorised tipping expeditiously, to complete its consideration of enforcement action against the unauthorised building as soon as possible, to review the resources available for the enforcement of planning control and to make payments to the complainants. (Five payments detailed, totalling £3,500).” The Ombudsman’s report has fully vindicated the concerns of the complainants, the Parish Council, the Gweek Protection Group and Friends of the Lizard. We have seen a preliminary report to Kerrier’s Standards & Ethics Committee and have been appalled by the tone of the response which, rather than contrite and apologetic, seems to challenge the findings and blame others. We have also received a communication, via Andrew George MP, from Elliot Morley MP who is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, warning us that a speedy resolution on the issue of restoration is unlikely.
Cornwall County Council Structure Plan: The Cornwall Structure Plan Deposit Draft 2002 was published since our last Newsletter and your Executive Committee has been inspecting a copy to consider making representations. In the document’s Introduction, it acknowledges that the role of the planning process is to bring about the most efficient and effective use of land in the public interest. This is achieved through the framework of policies and proposals set out in development plans which form the basis for planning decisions. The Structure Plan is a key element of that framework and sets out the long-term strategy for development in Cornwall, considering priorities for the economy, transport and the environment. The more detailed set of policies in the District-wide Local Plans must relate to this. The Structure Plan, in turn, has to be broadly in line with the Government’s national and regional planning policy. The development plan does not stand alone as the land use strategy must take account of, and be supported by, other strategies and programmes if its objectives are to be achieved and contribute to an improved quality of life in Cornwall. This Plan has been available for the public and interested organisations to consider and comment on the policies and proposals. At this stage, the Plan is described as being ‘on deposit’ and the County Council must consider all the objections or representations of support made during the deposit period. The key issues arising and any further information needed to finalise the Plan will be considered at an ‘Examination in Public’ (EIP), conducted by a Panel appointed by the Secretary of State. After consideration of the findings of the EIP, the County Council will publish its response and any modifications to the Plan. This will then replace the current Cornwall Structure Plan that was adopted in 1997 |
Listening to the Lizard: In the last Newsletter, we reported that two Members had attended the half-day meeting at Mullion School in September, organised by Cornwall County Council. The aims of the meeting, entitled “Listening to the Lizard”, was to discuss facilities and services that should be provided for the Lizard Peninsula area. Cornwall County Council has now published an initial report on this public consultation exercise and Friends of the Lizard has been sent a complimentary copy, which may be viewed by Members on request. The ‘Introduction’ to the document sets out the background to the event: “The impetus for Listening to the Lizard arose several months ago when County Council officers considering the forthcoming Area Review of property held by the Council met with Education staff that were reviewing the statistics on predicted role numbers for schools on the Lizard. These statistics gave cause for concern as they showed a trend towards falling role numbers at all schools across the area. After discussion with colleagues from a number of departments, they concluded that these statistics had much wider implications. The fact that there are likely to be fewer children in the schools indicates that there are fewer young families living on the Lizard and, potentially, a growing number of elderly residents. There were concerns regarding the consequential impact on the effective provision of services to people on the Lizard and that the migration of young people from the area was symptomatic of this.” We will be considering the Initial Report and making representations. A Constellation for the Winter Orion is perhaps the most attractive easily recognised constellation and it can be seen throughout the winter months. The stars that form the outline are among the brightest that can be found and the whole constellation can be used in finding a number of other stars, as the diagram shows. The four stars forming the corners of the outline are at the top left corner Betelgeuse (α Orionis) is an enormous Red giant so large that if it replaced our sun the Earth would be well inside it, but we would not be very well. At the top right corner Bellatrix (γ Orionis) is a blue white giant. At the bottom right corner we have Rigel (β Orionis), a massive bluish-white supergiant. At the bottom left corner is Saiph (κ Orionis) which is not quite so bright.
The stars of the belt, fix the line that leads us to Sirius on the left and Aldebaran on the right. These three are from left to right, Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka, all very bright stars. Below them lies Orion’s sword and, if your eyesight is very good, the great Orion Nebula, a cloud of gas and dust in which new stars are being formed. Sirius is actually the brightest of all the stars as we see them, but that is because it is quite close to us, only about 9 light-years away, but the stars of Orion are many times further away and are, in reality, vastly more luminous than either Sirius or the Sun. For example Betelgeuse is 490 light-years away and 1,600 times more luminous than the Sun, while Rigel is at 900 light-years and 60,000 times more luminous than the Sun. As they are all near the edge of our galaxy they stand out from dark sky lacking the luminous background glow of the Milky Way. Bill Barlow. MSc. Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. |
