Latest news with #RamePeninsula
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
‘Beloved' 1930s campsite closed over safety concerns
A 'beloved' beach campsite founded in the 1930s has been ordered to close over health and safety fears. Families who have camped at Sandway Beach in Cornwall for generations have so far defied eviction notices and are locked in a standoff with the council. Cornwall and Plymouth city councils, which own and manage the beach, said they will not renew the campsite's licence over fears that campers could be killed by landslips, rockfalls or floods. Officials ordered members of the Sandway Campers Association to 'vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death', citing a lack of sufficient escape routes should the tide rise high enough. The Environment Agency has backed the councils in their concerns over landslips and flooding. The Rame Peninsula campsite was founded by fishermen in the 1930s, who used bell tents on the beach. A petition has been launched by Katy Mabin to urge the local authorities to preserve the 'irreplaceable cultural landmark', which has seen its structures passed down through five generations. Ms Mabin said: 'The historical value of this site is not merely in its longevity but in the cultural heritage it represents. 'Sandway Point has been a sanctuary where lifelong friendships were formed, where children explored the wonders of nature for the first time, and where the gently, lapping waves provided the soundtrack to countless family gatherings and restful nights. 'Losing this beloved site would erase nearly a century of community history and tradition, a detrimental blow not just to camping enthusiasts, but to the very fabric of Kingsand's identity.' Julia Koonde, one of the campers, told the BBC: 'We learnt to fish here and we caught rabbits in the fields and my mum made rabbit stew. 'The material things don't matter when you're here, it's just nice to get away from the rat race.' Both Cornwall council and Plymouth city council granted a lease to the trustees of the Sandway Campsite Association for 15 years from March 2009. The lease allowed members of the association to erect tents for holiday use only and during intermittent periods of the year on land near Sandway Beach. But in 2015 Cornwall council authorised a report that detected risks in relation to the actual stability of the cliff next to the land. The association's right to occupy the beach expired with their lease on 24 March 2024. A joint statement by the councils said: 'No further lease or licence has been granted to the association or any other party. 'This means that the members of the association who have been camping on the land after March 24, 2024 have been trespassing.' Plymouth city council sent letters and emails to members between July and October 2024 ordering them to vacate, but members have returned to the land since April 2024.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Cornwall beach hut residents defy council's trespass order
A group of families who put up temporary huts every summer at a beach in Cornwall have been told they are decades members of the Sandways Campers Association have had a presence on the Rame peninsula beach with several generations handing down the tradition of camping Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council have refused to renew the campsite lease amid safety fears over rock falls and tidal councils said: "The lease expired on 24 March 2024 and the association's right to occupy the beach expired at that point." Both councils have previously told the Sandways Campers Association to "vacate the land immediately "due to the risks of immediate danger/death" from flooding and Sandways camping tradition started in 1936 when fishermen from Plymouth set up tents to stay in while they were working at sea. Their descendants still use the site each Koonde said she had been visiting the campsite since she was a said: "We learned to fish here and we caught rabbits in the fields and my mum made rabbit stew."The material things don't matter when you're here, it's just nice to get away from the rat race." Rebecca Lingard said she had been coming to her family's hut since she was two years said: "For the last 55 or 60 years they've been exactly as they are now."They don't change hands, they don't get rented out, they're used by the families themselves at the weekends and in the summer holidays."We want to work with the councils to come to a solution. We understand their concerns," she added. Jon Kidd, chair of Maker with Rame Parish Council, said he was working with the association and the councils to try to reach a said "Everyone was surprised that although the same council had given planning permission they were refusing the leases, it doesn't make sense - it's the same report and the same people. "We are here to get people to talk to each other and understand each others points of view and come to an amicable agreement."A petition has been launched by Katy Mabin calling on Cornwall Council to "work actively" to preserve the campsite and avoid issuing eviction notices. In a joint statement, Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council confirmed the trustees of the Sandways Campsite Association had been given a 15-year lease from March 2009 to to erect tents for holiday use that the lease had expired the two authorities said the association no longer has a right to occupy the statement added: "In 2013, CC commissioned a report which identified risks in connection with the stability of the cliff next to the land."Leading up to March 2024, there were several landslides that caused rockfall to come down close to the tents."Letters and emails were sent by PCC between July and October 2024 asking members of the association to vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death to the occupants arising from the landslips and the flooding risks identified by the Environment Agency."
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Upset over fears popular Cornwall camping spot could be shut
People from the Rame Peninsula are "gutted" a popular camping spot might be closed over safety comes after Plymouth and Cornwall councils have decided not to renew a licence allowing people to use the historic Sandway Campsite, close to the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.A petition has been launched by Katy Mabin calling for Cornwall Council to "work actively" to preserve the campsite and avoid issuing eviction councils said they asked campers last year to "vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death" from flooding and landslips, and they were concerned about people camping there. Ms Mabin said: "Losing this beloved site would erase nearly a century of community history and tradition - a detrimental blow not just to camping enthusiasts, but to the very fabric of Kingsand's identity."Kate Ewert, who represents the Rame Peninsula on Cornwall Council, challenged the authorities to do a new report into safety said no-one was staying at the site after notices went up this year telling them to set up bell tents on the beach in the 1930s, which have since been replaced by Beach is owned and managed by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council and they granted a 15-year lease from 2009 to the Sandway Campsite Association for holiday use only. 'Insufficient escape route' A 2013 Cornwall Council report identified risks about the stability of the cliff and there were several landslides leading up to March a joint statement, the councils said there were concerns that there is "no sufficient" escape route for campers and the Environment Agency had also highlighted safety risks."If the tide rises high enough and sweeps over the tents, then the beach could well become flooded and the occupants would be trapped. "That risk would be even greater if flooding happened overnight whilst the occupants were asleep," the councils councils said they asked campers last year to "vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death" because of the risks of flooding and landslips" and were concerned about people camping there. Ewert said notices had been put up asking people to leave, but no-one was camping said: "I am gutted about the state of affairs at Sandway. "Cornwall Council's planning committee granted permission last year after campers argued they did not use the site during the spring tide or when there was a risk from storm called for a new report to update the findings of the 2013 said five more planning consents were issued and campers were able to use the land in the intervening 11 said: "I asked for a new full study to be completed."It seems a geological expert reviewed the report and referred back to the 2013 report and said the land is unstable and that's that."The Rame Peninsula has come to the fore recently after being featured in the book The Salt Path and its accompanying movie.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Maker Heights at centre of Cornish heritage site planning row
A Cornish heritage site which has become a hub for musicians, artists and makers is at the centre of a planning row.A private company has submitted plans to change the use of one of the historic buildings at Maker Heights on the Rame Peninsula to residential and commercial use, but opponents fear it could set a precedent for second Places, which filed the part-retrospective planning application to turn The Straw Store into residential use, said it would help with the financial upkeep of the application has received about 30 letters of opposition from residents, with one saying Maker Heights was "not a suitable place for permanent residential development." 'Significant potential' The former military site contains five scheduled monuments, 17 Grade II* listed buildings and is situated in the protected Rame Head area of the Cornwall National Landscape, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). A number of outbuildings on the site are already owned and managed by Evolving Places, including The Straw Store, which has been used as a holiday a supporting statement to Cornwall Council, Evolving Places said it had invested "a significant amount of money in the fabric of the site, clearing, maintaining, restoring and caring for the buildings, land and monuments".It said The Straw Store had "significant potential to deliver some much-needed income".The planning statement added the elements owned by Evolving Places "desperately need a significant injection of capital to stand any chance of bringing any more buildings back to life".It said: "Supporting this application will help reduce the conservation deficit and in turn reduce the pressure for enabling development." 'Wholly unsuitable' One of the opponents to the plan said Maker Heights was one of the "last remaining heritage landscapes" on the said: "Generations of families – mine included – have enjoyed this place for over four generations."The proposed plan threatens to take that away, replacing a shared community resource with private dwellings."The Rame Conservation Trust (RCT), which was formed in 1997 to protect and promote the heritage assets at Maker Heights for public benefit, said it was concerned "The Straw Store would be sold as a private residential dwelling".The RCT said: "From a heritage perspective, we would also maintain that this location is wholly unsuitable for residential use, likely to permanently change the visual and historic character of the courtyard.""We would, however, support continued use as a studio – it has recently been used as a wellbeing space," it added.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Cornwall private car parks are a bad look
Plans for a private operator to manage about 20 car parks in picturesque parts of Cornwall will give a bad impression to visitors, a councillor has saidCornwall Council said the sites would be handed over in July and it argued a private firm could use cameras to improve enforcement and increase councillor Kate Ewert said having private car parks was a mistake and would give Cornwall a bad council said it wanted to ensure the car parks were managed fairly and would monitor them to ensure fines were being correctly issued. Corserv, which was chosen to operate the car parks on a five-year lease, said it would manage them fairly. 'Essentially mercenary' The previous administration decided to bring in a private operator because, unlike local authorities, they are able to use automatic number plate recognition cameras for enforcement. Nearly 20 car parks, including ones in Newquay, Tintagel, Porthleven, St Ives and Fowey, will come under new management. However, the council's car park in Cawsand, in Ewert's division, will not be transferred following a campaign by councillor, who represents the Rame Peninsula, said: "We all hear these stories of private operators that are essentially mercenary and the way they reach after people for non-payment of fees even if they've gone over by 30 seconds or they've put in a digit wrong on their number plate."It doesn't make Cornwall a very welcoming place if people are coming to some of our tourist towns and villages and then getting fined extraordinary amounts." Ewert said the car parks should remain under the council's control. "It's a mistake for us to give over any of our assets to private operators - we should not be doing that," she said. Robert Niblett, who lives in Nottingham and has visited Cornwall for the past 55 years, was cautious about the change."It's a bit disheartening," he said."You've got the cameras and intimidation of that going on. It's a bit threatening and a bit worrying at times." 'Managed fairly' A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: "The car parks have been leased to Corserv for a five-year term with a break clause after two years. "Working with Corserv, we will monitor the car parks during the contract. Any decision around bringing the car parks back under Cornwall Council management would be for Cornwall councillors to consider."A spokesperson for Corserv said: "We want to ensure our car parks are managed fairly and enforcement only carried out when it is clear drivers have not paid the appropriate fee for parking or adhered to the terms and conditions in place. "Any service provider operating on our behalf will work within this criteria and we will monitor the contract to ensure parking charge notices are correctly issued."
