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News that the Penlee Quarry developers will be applying for a Harbour
Empowerment Order in the New Year has re-ignited concerns that the company
is attempting to by-pass local planning controls.
But Marine Development Ltd (MDL) said this week that in order to create
a new harbour or marina at the quarry it "had no choice" but
to apply for harbour authority status.
Edward Iliffe, director, said the order was being sought only in relation
to marine aspects of the proposal; MDL would still be submitting a planning
application for the land based projects such as housing and industry.
Local campaigners fear that MDL may change its mind and present the entire
quarry project as part of the bid for a Harbour Empowerment Order and
so completely by-pass the local planning authority. In that scenario the
Department of Transport would determine it, not local councillors.
The local campaign group Friends of the Bay, which is worried about the
scale of the regeneration proposals for Newlyn and the quarry, say they
are "very concerned" about the application. Spokeswoman Marcia
Webb feared local people would be denied their say if MDL was successful
in achieving harbour authority status. "Penwith Council, as the local
planning authority, would be only a statutory consultee," she said.
"The Department of Transport would have to ask Penwith Council what
it thought, but the process would greatly reduce the role of the community
as consultees."
Mr Iliffe pledged yesterday that the company would not by-pass Penwith
Council once it had obtained the order, but would be applying for planning
permission for the housing and commercial aspects in the normal way.
"We have met with Penwith officers and with the Department of Transport
and we will be going through the normal planning channels and will apply
for outline planning permission for the land-based projects as soon as
we are ready to proceed," he said.
"We have worked closely with Penwith Council from day one and will
continue to do so. It is my understanding that even with a Harbour Empowerment
Order in place, the Department of Transport would not allow us to by-pass
Penwith Council."
Phil Dunn, of MDL, said: "All our environmental assessments will
be delivered by January and then we will be in a position to apply for
the Harbour Empowerment Order in the Spring. Any development company creating
a new harbour or marina has to apply for this order. We are certainly
not trying to get planning permission through the back-door."
Lesley Nell, of the community advisory group Planning Aid, said: "It
is all 'ifs' and 'buts' at the moment. Three months ago MDL was going
to lump the entire project - both marine based and land based aspects
- in with their bid for the Harbour Empowerment Order. If they did this
then they could by-pass the local planning authority. If they have changed
their minds about this, then the local consultation processes would continue
as far as the major land-based applications are concerned."
She added: "Whatever happens, this project is almost certainly going
to a public inquiry as it contravenes numerous local planning policies."
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