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The owner of a site in Newlyn Coombe earmarked for development as a seafood park, as part of the multi-million pound regeneration of Newlyn, has pulled out of negotiations.
Christopher Perkins announced on Monday that talks with the South West Regional Development Agency had collapsed and that the seafood park would not be built in the Coombe.
The news has brought a mixed reaction from local people, many of whom opposed the building of what would effectively be an industrial park on greenfield land.
But others fear that Mr Perkins' decision could now jeopardise the entire project for Newlyn and force a re-think on plans to build a new fish market in the port and provide affordable housing and recreational and community facilities.
In his statement on Monday, Mr Perkins, head of Penryn-based Perkins Farms Ltd and former High Sheriff of Cornwall, said: "I regard negotiations between my company and the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) as having collapsed.
"I and my advisors have encountered much personal criticism while the proposal has been in the public domain and we feel that the time has come to speak publicly.
"We have owned this site for a number of years and there is a family history of support for Newlyn going back many generations. For fully two years we have been attempting to work with SWRDA to progress the scheme, not for personal gain but in the belief that it was in the best interests of Newlyn."
Mr Perkins said that early in 2005, terms between Perkins Farms and SWRDA had been agreed and solicitors had been instructed on the proposed development of an eight-acre site at Stable Hobba, in Newlyn Coombe, as a high quality seafood park.
But SWRDA then announced in March that they were unable to continue with the agreed format for the scheme, but would support a private or public partnership, added Mr Perkins.
"We were prepared at that stage to proceed and so we put forward detailed proposals in the autumn. During November, without negotiation, completely different proposals emerged from SWRDA that were unacceptable to us.
"To avoid any further speculation or rumour, therefore, I feel it is now in the interests of my company and family to close the matter. The site is no longer available for this envisaged development. It is a great shame that we cannot progress this forward. We hope alternative sites can be identified."
Last week Penwith Council announced that a presentation embracing the entire regeneration proposals, planned for a council meeting on January 18, had been cancelled due to "circumstances beyond the council's control".
Mr Perkins declared himself "totally mystified" by this turn of events and said: "Far from being guilty of any intransigence or failure on our part, we were only too keen to do all in our powers to help progress this scheme.
"We had agreed a price with SWRDA and were anxious to secure conditions to support the survival and future development of the Newlyn fishing industry and to safeguard the overall appearance of the area and other considerations that were in the community's best interests for Newlyn." To this end, explained Mr Perkins, his company had offered to help pay for the preparation of a design guide for the scheme. Earlier, it had also offered to contribute to the cost of a feasibility study for the proposed seafood park, to which the publicly funded SWRDA is said to have committed £550,000.
Tony Williams, of the "Save Newlyn Coombe", campaign group, said he was "delighted" at the news. "I can't believe they ever seriously considered building in the Coombe. I hope they will instead build the seafood park on the five acres of land at Long Rock Industrial Estate, which is already owned by SWRDA."
Charlotte Hill, Penwith Council's head of regeneration, leisure and tourism, said she was "very disappointed" at the news, particularly after the efforts of both parties, but the council would continue to work closely with SWRDA and the Newlyn Fish Forum to achieve the objectives of the Newlyn regeneration strategy.
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