With reference to the proposed development of 300 houses at Bickland and Kergilliack PA12/10394 being decided on the 4th July.

Well, this proposal like the Midas industrial development is based on a very hypothetical need. The developers claim that they have worked closely with Cornwall Council and that all will happen as planned being part of Falmouth's 4000 new houses. The developers have even put money on the table to help fund the proposed Trescobeas roundabout project.

What is really annoying is that neither Falmouth Town Council or Budock Parish Council (90% of this development sits in Budock Parish) have been part of this evolving development plan --- once again it would seem a group of Officers and other interested parties have decided what is needed and will as far as they are concerned make it happen no matter what the local community wants!

Yet again Cornwall Council is not allowing democracy to survive and is dictating the total destruction of the green buffer between Budock and Falmouth.

It would seem that the will of the people will be totally ignored. Most of the people who attended the obligatory public meeting held at Falmouth Town Football Club were rejecting this development as not being necessary.

The core strategy document which identified potential development sites around Falmouth was debated by both Falmouth Town Council and Budock Parish Council in a joint meeting and was totally rejected as not being appropriate However these sites are obviously being promoted by the Cornwall Council to developers as 'going to happen sites' even though a final document has yet to be agreed!

Bottom line-- if all this proposed development takes place in the next twenty years Budock will be an urban suburb of Falmouth spreading from Bickland to Goldenbank, indeed the feeling I have is that both Mabe and Budock are already being considered as Penryn and Falmouth as far as the County Council and its Officers is concerned.

It would have been courteous for the developer to come and involve both Falmouth Town Council and Budock Parish Council in the thinking right from the start and this would have perhaps saved them considerable investment, instead they choose to become involved with a team of Officers with no local mandate who seem to have an agenda of develop, develop without any concern for local wishes or the real logistics of how to manage traffic, schools and healthcare provision etc.

John Bastin Chair Budock Parish Council