I feel I must take exception to Charles St George’s comments in last week’s Packet about the proposed new housing estate for Helston. 

Charles is neither a developer nor architect, but is employed by the PPS group, a national lobbying firm that specialises in winning hearts and minds. I believe Cuadrilla Resources, the fracking company are probably their most high profile client. Their own website states, Charles is the man they put up for the hard cases.

In our own small way Helston is a reflection of what is happening in Truro and the rest of Cornwall. Speculative developers and their lobbyists are cynically pushing for planning permission ahead of Cornwall council publishing a local development plan. 

The county has identified the land between the Maytree Inn and Sainsbury’s as their preferred site for the future housing needs of Helston but that holds no sway with the developers.

I believe proposals for a housing development at the Maytree/Sainsbury’s site are in the early stages of development. Hopefully the county will turn down the planning application for the Trenethick site at least until we can see the options open to Helston and make an informed decision rather than the quickest site to go for planning permission gets it.

Finally, the developers make a great play about the access road into this estate being the potential start of a Trewennack by-pass. 

Having attended the Trewennack by-pass public meetings a few years ago, my understanding is that a long northerly by-pass of Trewennack has never been and never will be the intention of Cornwall Council. Please could they stop insulting our intelligence.

Ian McDonald,
Helston