One issue that a lot of people have contacted me on over the past few weeks is around the works that are being done on Whipsiderry Beach and the cliffs above it near Newquay.
Any sort of work, particularly on the scale that is being
attempted, in this beautiful location, was bound to attract controversy, and
this is what has happened. Local people have come together to protest about
what is taking place, and the changes to the area that are occurring.
I have been aware of concerns around development on this
site since 2016, when it was first brought to my attention, although initial
planning permissions were first sought and granted by Cornwall Council’s
predecessor way back in 2007, some time before I was first elected as Member of
Parliament for St Austell and Newquay in 2015.
That being said, I did speak out when applications were subsequently
made to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), the organisation that
regulates marine construction for the controversial ‘concreting over the
cliffs’, and to Cornwall Council as the local planning authority for further
modifications, both in 2016. I felt strongly enough about these concerns that I
made my objections public in 2016, as well as holding a debate in Parliament on
the overall way in which the MMO conducts consultations for marine licensing,
which has also impacted fishing communities on the south coast, in 2020.
Despite my objections, the MMO and Cornwall Council did eventually
give the remaining planning permissions and the Marine License was granted. As
a result the developers have been granted the legal permission to carry out the
work. Now work has started I have raised the various concerns that have been brought
to me about how it is being carried out with Cornwall Council to ensure it is
within the permission granted. They have told me they will continue to be in close
contact with the MMO, the Health and Safety Executive, and the police to help
ensure appropriate action is taken if any breach of licence or crime is
identified.
This is an emotive issue, but there is a wider conversation
to be had about coastal erosion in general; the impact it has on our
communities, and the steps we take to deal with it. The Whipsiderry site is
particularly complex due to the building work that will happen above the
cliffs, but even without this, the land above the beach and associated
infrastructure will have been at risk due to advancing coastal erosion. This is
something that we see across our constituency in various forms, both at
Newquay, but also at Mawgan Porth, where the shifting of the sand dunes will
present a challenge for local businesses and road users in the coming years,
and on the south coast where cliff falls have led to the coast path being
diverted at Charlestown, and putting gardens at threat in Mevagissey, and in
Pentewan, where the potential failure of historic artificial coastal defences
could put low-lying properties at risk of flooding.
With rising sea
levels and more extreme weather events forecast to happen more frequently, we
need to do all we can both in central government and locally, to help
communities be resilient to these changes, to adapt and survive. DEFRA is
already taking some steps in this area, such as with the innovative Making
Space for Sand project. The coming years will present some huge challenges in
this area and it is important all involved listen to the concerns of local
people and work with them to come forward with the most appropriate measures to
project homes and livelihoods along with being sensitive to nature.
If I can be of assistance on this matter, or another, please
get in touch with my office by calling 01726 829379 or email
office@stevedouble.org.uk
