Last night Planning Referrals considered Truro City's plan to move from their old ground, to a new 6 million pound development in Kenwyn, paid for entirely by their millionaire owner. Last June we managed to push this through Planning against the Officers recomendation, but only after seven hours of consideration, which included site visits and a public meeting. But last night the Committee members were like frightened rabbits, I saw one Tory approaching the Council offices turning and running back to the car park, when she saw the young footballers with their placards, only returning when she had another Tory to hang on to!
All week I've heard them moaning that this is the heaviest post bag they've ever had. So, some middle class nimbys know how to use a word processor! You're supposed to be community leaders, guys, not scared of you're post bag. Sometimes you have to make decisions that are for the greater good of the community, even if a small section are left unhappy.
Truro's young people need these facilities, we don't even have a Youth Club and Carrick don't have the money to do anything. Well, the Committee ignored the fact that we had spent seven hours on this, their questions, such as they where, betrayed their complete ignorance of the issues and after only 40 minutes, they voted to refuse the application.
Two members abstained, and how they can come to important meetings like this and not be able to make their mind up, is beyond me. But they're irrelevant. The 5 who voted to refuse permission comprised of one LibDem, three Conservatives and one Independent. Of these only the LibDem is a Truro member, the rest are spread across Carrick, and what do they care about the future of Truro City F C and the possibility of some facilities for the kids of Truro. As usual the Tories looked after their own, at the communities expense.
There where irregularities with some aspects of the evening, but that's not for discussion here. I'll take them up with Carricks Legal Department.
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5 comments:
The facilities sound pretty good, and could be good for Truro, but what about transport access?
If there is sufficient access, parking and public transport, as well as a solution to the inevitable havoc it will cause on local roads it would be a good thing for local football players and supporters. It's just hard to see any of those problems being solved.
Transport (public and private) is plain broken in Truro and has been getting worse for a couple of years.
Admittedly it's better than St Ives - which combines the moneygrabing unfriendlyness of central london, with the rural lack of infrastructure of a remote scottish island.
Hi there Rob, interesting stuff. Out of interest, what were the reasons given for refusal?
David, it was refused on the basis that its green belt and not in the Strategic Plan. Fact is the site is marked on the plan as not supported for development. When the Plan was made the site came 4th out of six sites looked at for developement. The other 3 are all being built on. Only a matter of time for this one.
Aaron, transport is a problem, but the developer had put proposals in that satisfied Highways. Kids would have been able to cycle to the site, although up a pretty steep hill admittedly!
Got conned into giving my son a lift to St Ives in the summer, no place to drive a car, even a mini!
I walked along this "Island" so often and, as you said, they didn't care about me either. At some point or another these smashing window things had to be happen, I think. But having CCTV doesn't really solve the problem in my opinion - times come when the first CCTV-camera is being smashed...
Keep in mind that if you have a Youth Club quite often it would be taken over by one gang or group who would scare away all other kids and then they don't know what to do with themselves either. There is a lot more to do then only building up a site and leaving the kids alone.
You have to 'care' about them, saying: give them the opportunity to have a task, to work on individual skills, to gain responsibility and creativity in what they are doing and then there is a chance to succeed. This means of course a lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of passion for young people.
I am, by the way, writing you from Glasgow, Robert. After having travelled around the West Coast of Scotland I am now in Glasgow (since more than two weeks) looking for some work and somewhere to live, but I haven't been successful yet. So I might leave this city again soon, but I have to make up my mind where I want to go first. I hope I can sort that out well enough in the near future.
It is only due to Scottish library services of Glasgow, which offer two hours of free Internet access daily for any visitor that passes by, that I do have the time to read your blog and write you. This could be something to learn from for english libraries (let alone the germans). I like Scotland, the people's attitude towards England ;). But football teams are bad over here, though better than Cornwall's.
Say hello to your family
Kind regards
Stefan
PS. Have there been some letters from the bank or the job agency
Hi Stefan
I agree, it's complicated and one Youth Club won't reach everyone or solve everything. We need a major shift of emphasis, but we have to start with small steps.
Nice to hear from you, and yes we do have some post.
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