The high road to Falmouth

ONLY a few weeks to go and the new Penryn bypass should be open.

Falmouth Packet:

The road, officially called the Penryn and Falmouth distributor road, has cost £5.7 million and taken 18 months to complete. The scheme is running several weeks ahead of schedule.

It will provide an alternative road into Falmouth along a much more scenic route than at present.

The road will take traffic away from Penryn town centre and other congested roads in the area. It forms part of the county council road building programme and has been financed through EC grant, Department of Transport grant and loans.

Falmouth Packet:

It has been built by Alfred McAlpine, the county council direct services firm CORMAC have been involved as sub-contractors, as have a number of other companies.

The road forms part of the local plan and should soon lead to substantial grants being given to Penryn for numerous environmental improvements.

The road begins at Kernick roundabout at the south end of the Mabe bypass and crosses a landfill area near to the reservoirs, over which the three-span Kernick Viaduct has been built.

22 jobs go in Docks cuts

FEWER people than at first thought are to lose their jobs at Falmouth Docks.

Twenty-two employees will go and not the 30 expected when the news was announced last month.

The news comes amid general upheaval among management staff at the docks and at a time when over capacity in the ship repair industry has been blamed for job cuts.

It is also within days of the managing director's post at the docks being advertised.

There are 500 staff at Falmouth docks and about 300 casuals on the books.

On Tuesday staff were told that the redundancies would total 22 although dates for leaving have not been finalised.

A spokesman said the owners, A and P Appledore, were in a difficult market place and prices had been cut to the bone.

Colin leads new dolphin study

By David Robinson

IF you spot a dolphin off the Cornish coast, tell Colin Wood.

He is the principle researcher for a team studying the bottlenose species in their natural habitat. Their brief is to gather information for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society about the creatures' behaviour, health, population and breeding patterns.

Colin is a student attached to Grenwich University, but living at Penzance while he conducts the research programme.

He was at Gweek last Thursday to collect a £2,500 donation towards the project from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary's SeaWatch scheme.

After the cheque presentation by the sanctuary's resident vet, James Barnett, he told our reporter: "If anyone has any sightings of dolphins around the coast I would be very grateful to hear about it."