And the demolition of the existing market will restore the urban connection between the harbour and the village.

That was the vision for the future of the fishing village which architects Pringle Richards Sharratt outlined to Penzance town councillors last Thursday.

Talking about the £7 million development for a new fish market and associated processing units, partner Ian Sharratt said that the proposals, which are expected to be discussed by Penwith planners early in January, have been produced follow a series of meetings with local interested parties.

"The brief from Newlyn Harbour Commissioners and Penwith District Council was to engage with the local context and community to ensure that the fishing industry and harbour activities remained integrated with the village," he said.

Mr Sharratt said a key part of the design would be the open space which would be created just opposite, and could link up with, Keel Alley.

"This will create a new place for the people of Newlyn to use and there is the possibility that we could use rumble strips for the traffic which would give out the message that it was an area for pedestrians, not traffic."

He also showed councillors a model of the new market which would include at one end a striking, arched roof - possibly to be clad in copper to reflect the metal's historic relevance to Newlyn.

And he put forward the possibility that the 'Guildhall' could be used as a mixed-use community or all-purpose market area once the day's fish sales had been completed.

The market itself, Mr Sharratt said, would be divided into sections which could be isolated, so enabling the fish market to just use the amount of space required for each day's market depending on the size of the catch.

It was part of an attempt to make a much more energy-efficient building than the current market which has a limited shelf life and which no longer complies with today's Heath and Safety requirements.

Tony Woodhams, Newlyn's fisheries project manager who also attended the meeting, said it was vital that the project was a success.

He said that the £18 million-worth of fish landed at Newlyn this year converted into £54 million by the time it left the county and that around 740 jobs in Cornwall were dependant on fishing.

"The Government has shown great confidence in what we are doing and the whole community of Newlyn has been brilliantly engaged in the project," he added.

article copyright THE CORNISHMAN 

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