700 oppose Porthleven housing plan
12:10pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in News
700 oppose Porthleven housing plan
More than 700 people in Porthleven have signed a petition opposing the building of 61 new homes in Porthleven.
The Rowe family is proposing to develop these on land off Shrubberies Hill.
Two exhibitions for the public have so far been held – the second of which, in December, indicated that 36 of these houses would be affordable.
An online consultation website states that the aim of the homes would be to “deliver much needed affordable and open-market housing to Porthleven,” “provide a development that compliments Porthleven,” and “provide an area of public open space for local community use.”
However, a group of residents have joined to protest against the proposed development, saying that the site was designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty.
They have pointed out that the 700 signatures received so far represented around half of the permanently-occupied properties in the village.
Paula Johns, chairman of the Friends of Porthleven Group, said: “We are finding that around 75 per cent of the people we interview are against the plans. This is a step too far for Porthleven. The amenity of this area is priceless and should be preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.
“We are not against the building of affordable and social homes, but there are other, better, sites in Porthleven, closer to facilities and better roads.
“The owner of the land, Mark Rowe, is reported to have said that he will not go ahead with the development if Porthleven is against his scheme. Well this is the answer.”
A statement from the group added that Porthleven depended on tourism and the loss of what they described as an “amenity” for the village would be “detrimental to the future prosperity of the village.”
Members want to see discussion by all parties on housing and future planning for Porthleven.
They are calling for a local plan for Porthleven that looked at all the land available and the port’s ability to develop sustainably into the future.
Mark Rowe, from the Rowe family, told the Packet: “Our proposals for Shrubberies Hill would provide much needed affordable housing for residents of Porthleven. Our scheme will offer a high percentage of affordable housing which will be built to the highest quality within the county and will be in keeping with Porthleven, an area of outstanding natural beauty.
“We have also devised a local letting plan to ensure that the affordable homes go to local people.
“We are grateful for all the feedback we have received on our plans. From the consultation sessions we have undertaken we have received a great deal of support from the local community who are keen to see this site developed. We believe this site provides a perfect opportunity to help local people from Porthleven who want to stay living where they grew up.”
Comments(2)
telstar1962
says...
1:29pm Thu 14 Mar 13
NIMBY is an expression which readily comes to mind in this case.
The vast majority of 'objectors' should take a look back 40 or 50 years to see that where they are living now was once beautiful farmland too.
Gillian Zella Martin 09 says...
12:56pm Thu 14 Mar 13
I would have thought the majority of visitors to Porthleven take advantage of the port and coastal surroundings and coastal paths, I have rarely seen anyone walking across the farmland at Shrubberies Hill. Out of season Shrubberies Hill car park is nearly empty most of the time, I park there frequently, even in the summer a percentage of people that park up there are camper van owners that do not appear to be walking across the adjacent farmland.