Penzance, Cornwall public meeting St Anthony's Gardens

The meeting on December 13 about the proposed development of the former PZ Gallery and St Anthony's Gardens has been called by A Future for Penzance Facebook group.  It will be held at St John's Hall. The group was set up to campaign for investment in the town 

Cornwall Council’s own development company Treveth has submitted a planning application to build 37 new homes and eight commercial spaces including a pavilion building, along with what it says will be improvements to St Anthony Gardens and other public realm works on Penzance’s seafront.

The proposed development from across the road (Image: Cornwall Council Planning)

However the development is being opposed by a large group of local residents who say the development will decimate the public space, which opened in 1933 and was a gift from the Bolitho Estate to the people of Penzance.

Posting on Facebook, the A Future for Penzance group says the proposal is  bold and it's controversial but there had been "a lot of misinformation" out there.

Computer generated image of the retained fountain (Image: Cornwall Council Planning)

"Some of the same people who opposed the £64m harbour development are once again creating fear by spreading fake news like the gardens will have less green space (when there'll be more)," says the group in its  the new gardens will destroy the walls of an ancient chapel (not true, there was never a chapel on this site it used to be houses), the fountain will be destroyed (not true), the car park is going (the car park will stay and every time you park there you are helping to fund Jubilee Pool), PZ Gallery should be listed as it's an art deco asset (again not true) and the flats are for second homes (they are all to be rented to local people with some affordable units)."

Computer generated image of the upper terrace (Image: Cornwall Council Planning)

The group says the whole plan is to make the gardens greener than ever. There will be a larger garden area, way more biodiversity (a 186% increase) and more/better native plants and trees. "There will be way better seating, improved views of the pool and the bay and a fantastic community space for events with any historic features enhanced," they say.

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"Penzance has a history of some people trying to undermine improvements, then complaining that the town doesn't get investment.

"Look carefully at what is actually proposed and question the negative scaremongering."

However the post prompted a response by those opposed to the application with some claiming the development was too big and out of keeping and the rental flats would out of the price range of many local residents.

You can read the full application here: https://tinyurl.com/4udp4fjh and make a comment.