We attended the Falmouth Town Council planning meeting on Monday, when the application for the Falmouth School's Artificial Pitch and Sports Pavilion was reconsidered. We and the many residents of Trescobeas Road that attended this meeting were very disappointed by the decision. It was hardly a 'U' turn when three Councillors voted against and three for and it was only the Chairman's casting vote that changed the decision.

Tony Parker, objecting to this application on behalf of residents, pointed out that the only change to the previous plans turned down by the council is the removal of the sale of alcohol!

Falmouth School have also suggested planting trees to try and disguise the 8 foot wooden fencing to be installed all around the field and to hopefully lessen the noise! This fencing will be in addition to the very high fencing needed to stop balls going into the very busy road.

We can only thank Councillors Rowenna Brock and Vicky Eva for both acknowledging and arguing that although this would be great for the school and for the community, this is definitely NOT the right place for this pitch and that there are other better sites within the vast school grounds. They also acknowledged that the school has pointed out that these sites would be financially impracticable, even though, we understand, they have sold their pitches on the other side of the road (for housing) for several millions of pounds to finance this project.

Budock Hospital site, with the help and support of Sarah Newton MP, was purchased by Falmouth School from the NHS for the purpose of building the 3G All Weather Pitch on it . All the residents in Trescobeas Road, whom we have spoken to, support the school in enhancing their sporting facilities for both the school and the community and this site, although close, was acceptable. Falmouth School has now reported at a meeting with residents, that this site is contaminated and unusable as an All Weather Pitch and Channel 4 pitch cannot be used (also acceptable to residents and considered the best site). So now they are proposing the lovely grass pitch mainly used for athletics right on Trescobeas Road and which is only metres from all the houses. This is just not acceptable to residents on this road or residents in the surrounding area. It is very unneighbourly with floodlighting every night and the noise will be continuous for seven days a week - the pitch let out until 9.30pm Mon-Fri, until 6pm Sat and until 4pm on Sundays and surrounded by an 8 foot plus wooden fence with a two storey sports pavilion in constant use.

This is a residential road and this application is not justifiable or acceptable and causing much stress and anxiety to not only elderly residents, but also parents with young children.

If the Budock Hospital sight is in fact contaminated then it should be investigated and cleaned up, not covered by topsoil and used as a grass pitch leaving the problem to be dealt with in the future. As stated the sale of their other pitches was to finance the Artificial Pitch on that site and this is the right way forward.

Falmouth School has also indicated that the NHS has included a covenant forbidding the use of this pitch to generate money and cannot therefore be let out to clubs or house the pavilion. One wonders who accepted these terms when the whole purpose of buying the site was for the All Weather Pitch! This ludicrous situation needs to be sorted with the NHS.

Having just completed the new Union Corner roundabout and the new road which enhances the approach into Falmouth with fantastic far reaching views to the sea, this is now likely to be blighted by this pitch and an unsightly 8 foot plus wooden fence!

This application will now be considered by Cornwall County Council's Planning Department and we can only hope that they will make the right decision, not just for now, but for many years to come.

Gerald and Josephine Nicholls

97 Trescobeas Road,

Falmouth.