The Cornishman takes a step back in time this week to look at the past, the present, and the future of a 100-acre site that has caused storms of contention since marina developers took ownership in 2001.

DONNA MacALLISTER reports

Some people are excited at the thought of superyachts using the proposed marina, but many believe traffic will increase on the Newlyn-Mousehole road, and that the area will not benefit economically.

Proposals for a lift bridge, which would stop traffic to allow yachts in and out of the marina, have made many fear that the emergency services could be delayed.

But whatever the views, one thing is true - Penlee Quarry's history of causing disruptions to its neighbours goes way back. The quarry started in the 19th century, initially to provide ballast for ships. By the 1960s it was thriving, employing 190, providing stone for a West German roads contract.

Newlyn councillor John Payne, whose father was quarry manager until 1980, remembers the time well.

"They were quarrying for blue elvan granite and its seam extended right through to houses built in Newlyn, the Gwavas Estate particularly.

"Every time they did blasting my father's phone would ring and it would be an angry woman screaming that her window panes had been blown out.

And everyone remembers the disruption and the dust. The road would be closed twice a day and lorries would spray Newlyn with water to keep dust down." But it was an important site that did a lot for West Cornwall. Its rock built many roads and created Penzance's harbour car park, Paul cricket and Mousehole football grounds, as well as St Teresa's Cheshire Home at Long Rock.

MDL currently has a licence to quarry 29 million tonnes of rock. Managing director Edward Iliffe claimed about 600,000 cubic metres would be quarried to develop the marina.

And in his ideal world this would be shipped by barge to rebuild Penzance harbour, construct a ship-building yard at Newlyn, and both Penzance and St Mary's ends of a ferry terminal for the RMV Scillionian III.

"Blasting will be much less aggressive than the way it was done in the past," he said. "The process we're doing is a lot more precise because we're trying to create large chunks of rock rather than small pieces."

Trial blasts had been carried out at Penlee which, according to Mr Iliffe, had only been felt by one cottage, built over a fault line at Mousehole.

Mr Iliffe said MDL's search for an investment partner could soon be over. He was in discussions with another marina company about making his vision a reality and said he hoped to announce a partnership deal in April.

article copyright THE CORNISHMAN 

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