Buses, Penwith and Cornwall Council

Having just read the statement on the Western Greyhound website http://www.westerngreyhound.com./  

‘Notice was given by Cornwall Council officers on a number of routes at the end of July and we were also given a list of proposed bus service cuts by Cornwall Council. Those proposals affected almost the entire Western Greyhound operation in “Penwith” rendering the very small remaining operation unsustainable.’

This decision made by officers at Cornwall Council, with no consultation, no contact with transport groups or Town Councils in West Cornwall shows a level of arrogance that is hard to believe or maybe not?

Still no statement from those officers as to why they think West Cornwall does not require a full bus service, how this decision was made, any alternatives they are considering.

I do know that our local County Councillors are meeting with the officers and transport groups, but this still has the feel of all too late, once again, a decision has been made by officers, and then consultation begins.  

Now it is no secret that I am not a great fan of Cornwall Council and some of its officers and the way the West of the County is considered and treated by them.

This has come about not because I don't want to work with them to improve Penzance, it’s because so many of the decisions made by them are made without the benefit of local opinion, until it’s too late for those opinions to be considered. Or we are given options that are no option.

Sadly, all too often, this is the order in which things happen at Cornwall Council, and they wonder why they get a bad press and anger people.

Retail Park in 'Hayle'

I read with interest the article in this weeks Cornishman (5th Sept) regarding the proposed retail development in ‘Hayle’. The first thing that comes to mind is that the development is no more in Hayle than I am, it’s a development alongside the A30, adding to the retail park that is already there.

There has been much written about the impact of the Sainsbury Supermarket being built on the edge of Penzance and the impact this will have on the town centre, I fancy that will be as nothing to the impact this proposed development will have, not only on Penzance but on the whole of the West of Cornwall.

This will be out of town shopping on a scale unknown in this part of the world. A further 11  major retail units adding to the 4 major units already on the site will have a huge impact on the whole area.

However, as the development is nominally in ‘Hayle’ no one in Penzance, St Ives and other towns in the area will be consulted, no mitigation will be forthcoming, and I am sure no consideration will be given to the wider impact of this development.

The developer and Mayor of Hayle  both state this development will be good for Hayle, I can't see how, no one is going to travel to this development on the A30 and then say, oh while we're here let’s pop into Hayle, it doesn't happen now and it’s not going to happen in the future.