OVER 200 objections have now been received by Cornwall Council against a plan to build a rum cask maturation bi-ome, geothermal energy centre and visitor centre on the site of The United Downs Raceway.
So far the proposal by The Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company to build the complex at the Stock Car Racing at United Downs Raceway in St Day has received 205 objections while a petition on change.org has so far gained over 6,000 signatures.
The distillery company say up to 100 new jobs could be created in one of the most deprived parts of Cornwall after a 100% sustainable scheme to geo-thermally mature and distil rum using heat generated by the UK’s first geothermal power plant won a £75,000 research and development grants awarded in the Government’s Green Distillery Competition.
READ HERE: Up to 100 new jobs could be created after grant of £75,000 given to green distillery pioneer
It has put in an outline planning permission application for mixed-use zero carbon employment development comprising a state-of-the-art rum cask maturation biome, heat and power connection to existing off-site geothermal energy source; geothermal energy centre; and visitor centre including ancillary shop and cafe. It comes before Cornwall Council planning committee on March 8.
But the promoters of the site Autospeed are furious saying the council agreed to a ten-year-lease with them in October 2019 which it signed but Cornwall Council never did.
Autospeed's Crispin Rosevear said that at the time, enquiries were made about the delay, but council staff reassured him that there was no problem.
He says that changed in March 2020 when the council announced another interested party in the site, Cornwall Geothermal Distillery led by former helicopter pilot Matthew Clifford, and withdrew their lease offer.
From there, the council received a Planning Application for outline permission on the site from the rum distilling company, making the future of the raceway look increasingly uncertain.
“Despite being on the site for 20 years, when the council said in 2019 that the site was open for tender, we did exactly what was asked of us," said Mr Rosevear.
"We won the tender and were granted a ten-year lease, but without the council signing the document it has proved utterly worthless.
“In all of our years of dealing with Cornwall County Council, we have always had a very good working relationship. Unfortunately, that has now soured.”
The online petition to save the last motor sport stadium in Cornwall, currently has 6,227 signatures.
The petition on the Change.org website, addresses Cornwall County Council Leader Julian German, to save the historic United Downs Raceway from demolition.
The objectors say the United Downs Raceway site is an important social hub for the local community, and, after more than 60years of Stock Car racing in Cornwall, the county will no longer have a circuit.
It is regularly used by many other recreational and sporting groups, including Leaf & Coil Land Rover club, Kernow Orienteering, Pendennis Motorcycle club, Cornwall & Devon Land Rover club and the Camborne & Redruth Motor club who stage events where children learn to ride electric motorbikes.
It says work has been completed on a Hospitality Suite,which is available for additional local groups to use for educational purposes. Cornwall has been the breeding ground for Stock Car World Champions such as Johnny Marquand, Dave Brown, Colin Higman and Billy Batten. Former Banger World Champion Dave Spooner
Cornwall Council have been contacted for a comment.
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