Tuesday 18 December 2007

Meeting To Set Up Boat Cove Association

There will be a meeting in the Church room Perranuthnoe on 22nd January 2008 at 7.oopm to set up the proposed Boat Cove Association. Anyone interested in joining or supporting the Association is invited to attend.

Thursday 22 November 2007

Outcome of Trust/Talking Party Meeting

A preliminary meeting between Alastair Cameron of the National Trust and some volunteer 'talking party' members, was held last night in the church room, Perranuthnoe.

The emphasis for the meeting was to ascertain exactly what people wanted to be done at Boat Cove.

It has been well and truly establish that everyone wants Boat Cove to remain a usable amenity for local people. The Trust are in agreement with this and prepared to work with us, the local community.
Thanks go out to everyone for taking the time to sign the petition and offer support.

If Boat Cove is to remain a usable amenity two things have to be addressed, the slip and the shed.

The shed is needed to store boat and fishing gear and has a great appeal and history behind it. Unfortunately it is very dilapidated and now actually overhanging the cliff.

The question is, what can be done about it? Suggestions raised at the meeting were as follows;

1. Shore it up
This was the most popular as everyone likes the shed just the way/where it is.
Things to take into account are the costs which would be astronomical and with rising sea levels and erosion how much longer would it last? Would it be worth it?

2. Drag it back
The second most popular was to drag the whole shed back a few yards away from the cliff edge and repair it.
Things to take into account are; Can it be done and what would be involved? Would the shed stand up to moving it?

3. Knock down and not replace
Not an option, or is it? Could be seen as a natural demise with a little help at the end for health and safety reasons.

4. Knock down and replace with new
Considerations with this one were; What will the new shed look like? Will it be wood? Will it be stone? Where will it go? Could parts of the old shed be incorporated in to the new one? How big should it be?

5. Keep old shed and build new one
This option involves sealing the shed and preserving it where it stands. Maybe have some history boards on it with information and pictures of now and then.
Considerations are; The shed is overhanging the cliff, very dangerous for anyone walking on the beach should it fall. How long before it does fall? It will have to be repaired and made secure as bits come off it in heavy winds, another danger for anyone passing.

The slip is needed to launch boats and as a means to get equipment to and from the shed. It is not really necessary for access to the beach as there is another way down and the Trust have already said they will provide steps.

So what where the ideas for the slip;

1. Make it safe and insurable
What would this involve? Can it be done?

2. Build a new one
Whats needed? Do we need hand rails? how wide will it have to be? what will it look like? should it be wood? metal? should it be fixed or movable?
To bring boats up it will have to be around 6-7 feet wide. To make it movable it would have to be very light.

3. Do away with it
The Trust will provide steps to access the cove. Boats can be launched from elsewhere and brought round to the cove. The problem is with the boat and fishing gear. The equipment is heavy and to try and walk across pebbles and rocks then up steps could prove a bit too much and so defeating the object of keeping Boat Cove a usable amenity.

There is a lot to consider and sort out including Planning and, Health and Safety issues. Alastair Cameron has said that the Trust will get a risk assessment done, he will arrange for a Health and Safety Officer to visit and will get the planning side looked in to as well as getting a building surveyor in for our best options.

From the community side, views and comments are needed on the suggestions put forward.
To be able to work with the National Trust we, as a community need to get organised. Communication is a key issue.
There are a lot of people to which Boat Cove is important. To keep all those people informed and up to date as well as letting everyone have their say will prove costly and time consuming.

The modern world revolves around modern technology, it's quick and effective as well as being more environmentally friendly.
This website is a good place to start. It enables everyone to be able to voice their opinions and read the opinions of others. If Boat Cove is important to you and you have access to a computer please use modern technology and go ahead and make your comments on the issues raised. If you have no access to a computer then you can phone me on 01736 710565 and I will publish your comments for you. This will enable us, as a community to get organised and really get to grips with what is wanted/needed. All final decisions can then be made face to face with the knowledge and piece of mind that it is a whole community decision.

It has been suggested that a 'Boat Cove Association' be formed to fulfill the needs of now and the future. Again, comments on this are needed.

Go ahead, click on 'comments' below and do your bit. Lots of people have offered support, this is the next step, actually giving it.

National Trust Notes On Meeting

Thursday 1 November 2007

Boat Cove Petition

If you want to add your name to the list of people opposed to the removal and non replacement of the shed and slip at Boat Cove you can do so at the following places;

Perranuthnoe Village Crafts
The Victoria Inn
Goldsithney Village Stores

We need to have the list ready to present to the National Trust by the 21st November.

Tuesday 23 October 2007

Boat Cove Tenancy

Ian Hicks has regrettably given the Trust one months notice on the tenancy for the slip and shed at Boat Cove.

This has come about because the licence agreement requires him to bear full liability towards third parties.

Ian had asked the National Trust to place some good clear signage around the shed and slip warning the public of possible danger and directing them to another way down, but so far nothing has materialized.

He wrote and asked them if he was still liable under the circumstances and if so could he suspend the agreement until everything has been sorted out. This was the reply;

I am afraid the contract does not allow you to suspend the agreement.

In fact it does not make provision for you to terminate it at all, however The Trust will accept 'reasonable notice' in the circumstances and I will recommend that one month's notice is accepted.

If you do wish to give up the licence please will you let me have a letter to this effect.


What happens now is a good question. The Trust may well turn around and say that no more licence agreements will be issued.

Lets hope the Trust will preserve our heritage and let us continue to use Boat Cove in a way it always has been.

Monday 8 October 2007

Apology To The National Trust - Re Boat Cove

Alastair Cameron has asked me to print an apology, in respect of my selective reading of Tom Odling's letter to me ----dated 5th September 2007

Third paragraph reads --

Clause 4 states that you are fully responsible for the maintenance and repair to the boathouse and to the wooden slipway to it, however your liability to maintain appears to be mitigated by clause 6 that says once the boathouse becomes too dilapidated to repair it shall be removed and not replaced. Underclause 1 we can give you six months notice and ask you to remove the boathouse and slipway.

I had omitted to include the last paragraph which is as follows--

I would be grateful if you would let me know if you now consider the boathouse and slipway to be beyond repair in which case we can consider its future.

For the omission of the last paragraph I apologies unreservedly to the National Trust . I realise my omission gave a false picture of the Trust's position at Boat Cove.

Yours sincerely Ian Hicks.

Sunday 7 October 2007

Cemetery Path

The parish council will be discussing the surfacing of the path up to the new cemetery in the coming months.
If you have a view on how the path should be finished, now is a good time to express your opinion. Please contact Pippa on 01736 710475. If you are able to put your view in writing, it can be read out at the next parish council meeting on November 1st. Hope to hear from you soon!

Pippa

Friday 5 October 2007

Radio Cornwall - This Time It Happened

Denis Nightingale from BBC Radio Cornwall arranged an interview, at short notice, with Ian Hicks at 9.30 this morning at Boat Cove.

Ian telephoned myself and Brianna Breeze and asked us to attend. Mr. Nightingale did not want more than 2 - 3 people.

The interview went ahead as planned.

Denis is not responsible for when/if an interview gets aired but feels if it does it will be on Monday 8th October on the breakfast show.

Thursday 4 October 2007

Boat Cove - Marazion and District Forum Letter

Jane Howells, Vice-Chairman of The Marazion And District Forum has written a letter to Mr. Cameron of the National Trust.

The Forum have expressed their support for the retention of the Boathouse and slip at Boat Cove.

A copy of the letter is here; Forum Letter to National Trust

Monday 24 September 2007

Radio Cornwall

Ian Hicks and myself were contacted by Radio Cornwall today. The intention was to conduct an interview at Boat Cove with ourselves.

Alastair Cameron (National Trust) was also to be interviewed in Helston on the way over to us.

We arrived at Boat Cove at the time stated, 3.45pm, when within minutes Ian's mobile rang, it was the Radio Cornwall interviewer saying that he was sorry but he was not going to be able to carry out the interview as he had had an equipment failure.

It is not known whether or not the interview with Mr. Cameron was carried out.

Saturday 22 September 2007

Boat Cove Needs You

As reported in the Cornishman this week, Alastair Cameron, National Trust property manager for South West Cornwall, has agreed that the boat house at Boat Cove is an important facility for those that use it as well as being an important landmark in the cove.

It would seem though, that they are not prepared to do anything about it without the help of the local community. They want us to form a small working group, presumable to carry out work on the boat house.

Therefore would anybody that is prepared to help please Email or phone 01736 710565 so that we can get a list of names together and present it to the Trust.

We need to get this matter resolved as soon as possible and keep Boat Cove as it has been for generations, an amenity for local people.

Thursday 20 September 2007

Cornishman

Contribution by Ian Hicks

Very good write-up in the Cornishman;

Alastair Cameron "we are keen to find a solution"

That is a hell of a site better than,

"it is past repair and must be removed in 6 months, and not replaced"

as Tom Odling's letter said to me regarding the tenancy !!!!

WELL DONE EVERYONE , they are on the back foot, and it looks positve for all of us, our special thanks to all concerned.
Best regards Ian.

Moved

All the posts below have been moved from the web site. This is the new place for village news. If you have any news or ideas or anything you want to share with others please email me and I will post it here.

Another Idea 19/09/07

It has been suggested that maybe we can get the hut listed. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Here's a Word document file with more information,

A Guide to Protected Buildings

Idea 19/09/07

Contributed by Brianna Breeze

I've had an idea regarding the rebuilding of the fishermen's hut at Boat Cove, I'd like to know what people think and hopefully other proposals will present themselves.

I was very taken with the partial rebuilding of the old schoolhouse at the National Trust's Glendurgan Gardens this summer. The local schoolchildren had been invited to rebuild the walls using cob, and the schoolhouse now has a little display of boards showing the history of the school, and pictures of the restoration. How about something similar at Perranuthnoe?

We could all help to build a new store, and the Trust could mount a few display boards on the outside for coastal path users to look at. We get a new store, the NT looks like it's involved the community, everybody's happy!!

In case anyone is wondering why I'm involved, I'm married to a local man who keeps a boat in the cove now, and has been going there with his brother (who also has a boat there) to fish since they were boys and my son is upset at the possible loss of our happy family days out!

The Meeting 18/09/07

50 concerned locals turned up for the meeting at Boat Cove today, much to the surprise of Mr. Odling from the National Trust, who was only expecting the meeting to be between himself, his surveyor and Ian Hicks.

All that Mr. Odling would say for now was that the meeting was just a preliminary one and he was not prepared to speak to anyone other than Mr. Hicks, who is the tenancy holder. He seemed quite upset that so many people had come along to what he considered a private meeting.

It was pointed out to Mr. Odling, that although Mr. Hicks is the tenancy holder, Boat Cove is an amenity for local people and always has been. The book, Perranuthnoe Parish An Illustrated Historical Guide, dates the old hand-winch, which was used by local fisherman to drag boats up the beach, back to 1884.

The inspection went ahead as planned. Mr. Odling then left to make his report and Mr. Hicks will be contacted by the Trust in due course.

Jane Howells from Marazion and District Forum attended the meeting. The forum have expressed an interest and the subject will be raised at their next meeting which is on Thursday 20th September 7.30pm at the Marazion Community Centre. Anyone wishing to do so is welcome to attend.


Ian Hicks would like to express his thanks to everyone for their help and support.

Update 17/09/07

Some reading material

The National Trust Coastal Policy

Also, Perranuthnoe Parish, An Illustrated Historical Guide is available to purchase from Perranuthnoe Village Crafts

Help Needed 16/09/07

It has been suggested that the National Trust were given the Cove, boat shed etc. on proviso that it should be kept as an amenity for local fishermen.

If anybody can shed any light on this, one way or the other please E-mail, phone 01736 710565 or post a comment on this as soon as possible.

Also, any history concerning Boat Cove would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Update 15/09/07

Contribution by Ian Hicks

The shed at Boat Cove is used by four of us at the moment and is full of boating fishing stuff and a lot of memories.

The shed and home made slip have to be insured as part of the Tenancy agreement with the National Trust. What has now happened is that due to the dilapidation of both items, it is no longer an insurable situation, so end of Tenancy. That being the case I am responsible for their removal. It will be a sad day, but this is the nanny state and a litigious state, where no one takes any personal responsibility.

What we would like to ask the Trust is will they please reconsider their decision that neither shed nor slip is to be replaced.

What we would be pleased to see is a horse shelter with lockable door, to keep our kit in, and for them to cut steps in the cliff for us all to access the cove.

They are prepared to give access in a gully just to the West of the shed. This is not convenient for us, but does give public access, but not the continuation of Boat Cove as we know it.

Sadly I think the status quo regarding shed and slip no longer fit the modern picture. It would be a shame if history is broken now.

If anyone can find their copy of the history of Perranuthnoe there is a piece on Boat Cove that might be worth bringing up at the meeting.

Boat Cove 15/09/07

Boat Cove has been part of the village for a great many generations. No doubt some of the more senior inhabitants of Perranuthnoe will have many stories to tell.

The National Trust now own all the land at Boat Cove.

As you are probably aware the shed and slip are now well past their sell-by-date and in desperate need of replacement. The Trust, however have no plans to grant permission to the current users of Boat Cove to replace the shed and slip.

Where does this leave our local community and future generations? There is a meeting at Boat Cove on Tuesday 18th September at 12 noon with Tom Odling from the National Trust. Please come along and listen to what he has to say and voice your own opinion.

If you have any memories about Boat Cove, maybe you used to play there as a child, or someone you knew used to use it for fishing, or anything at all then please send me an e-mail as I am building a web site for Perranuthnoe and I would like to include them on it for posterity.