independent Cornish news and comment

Kerrier: How considerate! How thoughtful! New Plans for Camborne-Redruth

‘In visiting the locality, it seemed to us that there would be some merit in searching for a suitable location to provide an urban extension to Camborne/Pool/Redruth.’


So said the members of the Panel, appointed by the Government to look at the comments aired at the Regional Spatial Strategy Examination in Public last year. A small select group who are neither accountable to the Cornish electorate nor to people in the locality. They decided it would be a ‘good’ idea to add an additional 5,100 dwellings to the already inflated 6,000 proposed for Camborne-Redruth between 2006 and 2026.

What does this mean? Increasing the number of dwellings and population by 60%, developing an area ranging from 470 to 400 hectares – a minimum of 5 Carn Brea’s or 660 rugby pitches!

No doubt it would be badged as sustainable, good for the economy, be community friendly and solve the affordable housing problem.

None of these statements would be credible or true. Expanding Camborne-Redruth cannot be sustainable either in any context. Basing economic growth on building more houses is neither sustainable nor economically sensible. The developments would obliterate the local communities, emasculating what is left of these historic towns with their adjacent mix of field, moor and hamlet. As for the housing, it would be to allow, indeed encourage more people to move to the area. Apparently, there are no limits to how many people can live in Cornwall, regardless of environmental, social or community impact. Strange when sustainability is about limits.

Why should the communities in Camborne-Redruth have their future mapped out for them by a body totally unaccountable to them? It seems to us that there would be a great deal of merit in allowing communities in Camborne-Redruth to determine their own future, one that meets their aspirations and needs, not one that is imposed. A future, which allowed for the development of existing communities, not for induced population growth. A future vision which offers hope instead of despair.