Renovation plan for Falmouth WWII 'American shelter' (From Falmouth Packet)

Renovation plan for Falmouth WWII 'American shelter'

2:00pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News

THE American shelter on Cliff Road is set to undergo a major renovation after falling into a state of disrepair.

The shelter, which has been regularly vandalised in recent years, requires around £12,000 worth of work to bring it back to its original state.

Councillors at the finance and general purposes committee agreed to fund the repairs during a meeting on Monday evening.

However, they are now set to review the long term future of the shelter – which was erected for US servicemen in the town during World War II.

Town clerk Mark Williams told Monday’s meeting: “We asked for quotes for work to be carried out on the shelter, but they have come back with quite substantial figures. “It is a problem we are always going to encounter, it is a property we have taken responsibility for, it falls to us to do it.”

Committee chairman David Sterratt said: “I remember that Roger Bonney went out to do the last lot of major repairs on the shelter.

“Just thinking off the top of my head, we could put something completely different out there, but have it rededicated to the Americans.

“The way the shelter is going, it will end up like the HMS Victory – there will be nothing left of the original structure.”

Councillor Oliver Cramp added: “Fairly recently we had this same issue with the pillboxes around the area, but the authorities have decided they are not worth keeping, so why is the American shelter different?

“I think councillor Sterratt’s idea for getting something new and modern is a much better idea than keeping on repairing the old shelter.”

Councillor Sterratt responded: “That idea will need consultation, it will be an ongoing issue. For now we just need to get these repairs done.”

The committee voted unanimously to carry out the repairs, which will cost around £12,000 to complete.