The Government says we have to build 6000 more houses in Truro. That's 12,000 to 15,000 new people adding to our existing population of just under 20,000, with no extra money for infrastructure. Anyone who was in Truro on Monday, when minor roadworks on Morlaix Avenue brought the traffic to a standstill for miles around, will wonder how the City is going to cope with all these extra people.
So I was interested to be invited up to Penair School by Persimmon Homes, who are hoping to build 450 houses at Tolgarick, which is out by Arch Hill. They were putting on a presentation to a class of 15 year olds. It was a good day, and although the developers wanted to focus on what the estate would look like, they allowed me to put the development plan into a wider context, asking did we want these new houses at all, could Truro cope with the extra population and would the development ever become a community, somewhere one would want to live.
It will be interesting to see the final report on the consultation exercise. I believe most people have responded by saying they don't want any development at all, and I wonder how that will appear in the planning application. Another interesting point is that the young people had no idea that this major change was occurring in their city. It's important to include them in the debate, because they will be the people living and working here in 20 years time. Changes made now affect them, more than most. So well done to Persimmon and the staff and Penair for organising Monday's workshop.
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About Me
- Rob Nolan
- Councillor for Boscawen Ward in the City of Truro, Cornwall. Likes Skinners beer, pasties and jogging. Not always at the same time. Working to make Truro a more child friendly City.
4 comments:
We went to look at the new development up at Cathedral View, Off Bodmin Road - it looked quite nice, but lacked any transport or facilities apart from a play area.
In fact pretty much none of the development around Truro is supported by any new infrastructure or facilities.
I suppose we can assume that not planners at the council live along the threemilestone/truro ribbon development, as every last blade of grass is built on, but no improvements are made to transport or traffic : I can get to falmouth or redruth from threemilestone as quick as I can Truro, and use less fuel to do so.
Seriously considering moving to devon these days, and the Party Headquarters have the cheek to call me to ask for money every other month to campaign for some councillor somewhere, when to be honest I'd sooner have more independant ones both at district and county level.
And they're lucky to have a play area! I warned the kids that these have a habit of dissapearing somewhere in the building process. And we're told that ribbon development is discredited and outmoded, yet somehow everything ends up in Threemilestone! And I agree, infrastructure first, then lets look at the development plans.
Truro desperately needs a bypass going north around the city. I know a lot of it is protected land but this is Cornwall, there's plenty more beauty spots where people can walk their dogs. They'll just have to drive a bit further. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
For many years the central government wants more houses in the Truro region. Where will the new inhabitants work or will they live from social security?
Hamish in Boppard am Rhein
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