Thursday 13 May 2010

Meeting May 2010

Notes from the Forum's 12 May 2010 meeting. Any suggested amendments or omissions to the Chairman please.

Parliamentary election
The Forum congratulated Sarah Newton on winning the recent parliamentary election and looked forward to hearing what policies the government would be pursuing.

Falmouth and Penryn Community Plan
Chris Smith is summarising the 200+ proposals in the final Community Plan document into a more manageable list, balancing the ‘aspirational’ and general proposals against the achievable, action-oriented projects, highlighting the priorities. Comments on his draft were invited by the end of May. A revised draft would then go to the Community Plan Management Group during June for formal agreement.

Falmouth Town Council had already adopted the Community Plan. There would be a presentation of the plan to the Penryn Town Council at its next but one meeting.

Strategy Soup
A useful meeting had taken place with Tom Flanagan and Sandra Rothwell of Cornwall Council to discuss the many different strategies and plans which were being created. It was recognised that consultation could not happen on all of them separately and that a more holistic approach would be required. Some of these were required by central govenrment or necessary to provide a formal context within which investment could take place.

The main task facing the Forum was to add to the Community Plan with a broader list of strategic projects which had not been mentioned by the community: things like spatial use and economic development.

Town Development Framework
The next major local project was likely to be the Town Development Framework. Scott Sharples is co-ordinating the various Council officers to prepare an initial set of ideas. These would then be discussed with the Forum before anything was written. Matthew Williams would be leading this work.

Convergence and the SIF
Matthew Vowels helpfully update people on progress with the SIF. A list of projects had been prepared for Falmouth which had been agreed by SWRDA. Cornwall Council had then asked for a review to ensure that there was a suitable balance between work space development and other projects. There was a concern that the proposals were insufficiently transformational and that there were too few small projects.

He explained that work was continuing on all the projects although a number of people remarked that this was not their experience. There was some frustration that many proposals which had been derived locally were being delayed in the Council.

Church Street Car Park
The re-development of this space remained a priority for Falmouth and could be genuinely transformational for the town. It had been hard to find anyone prepared to take responsibility for the project. The environmental study, for instance, had never been published and there were divergent views as to what it contained.

Scott Sharples agreed to follow up with colleagues in Transport and Asset Management to try and unlock the project.

Falmouth Port Masterplan
This SIF project had started. Four options were being developed and an initial consultation event with key stakeholders was planned for 18 May. There would be a public consultation in June and a final report in September.

Falmouth Marine School
David Steadman explained that he would be taking over as Director of the Falmouth Marine School. His first priority was obviously the curriculum which is growing, especially in marine sciences, but that re-location loomed large as well as the existing buildings were tired and sub-standard. A waterside location would be ideal.

Events programme
This was going ahead well. The Fal River Festival was due to happen over the May Bank Holiday, thanks to King Harry’s Cornwall. Richard Gates had taken on chairmanship of the Falmouth Week Shoreside Committee and the Oyster Festival was being planned for October.

Transport issues
Cornwall Council had recently agreed to stop work on the Avenue Road/Melvill junction following protests from local people and the Town Council. They have gone away to explore whether a mini roundabout or pedestrian crossing would solve the safety problems which the Forum welcomed.

The Council is also to continuing to plan work for the Kimberley Road junction.

It is also working on the Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3). Nothing had been heard as yet although discussions had taken place with the elected representatives, explaining the thinking behind the Treluswell Park and Rail.

Business Improvement District
The BID was getting into its stride. Two new benches had been installed in the main street and a series of floral/flag displays displaying the new Falmouth logo would be appearing shortly. Progress was also being made on the new website.

Shop fronts continued to be a concern. No 1 Market Street would shortly have vinyls in its window. A number of other shops were under consideration or were close to signing contracts to return into beneficial use.

Community Alive 2010
A community event was planned in the area of the Moor on 22 May. There would be free information, entertainment and refreshments. More information

John Slaughter
The Forum formally thanked John Slaughter, its former chairman, and wished him well in his future in Cardiff.

Attendance:
The following attended the meeting:
Jonathan Griffin - National Maritime Museum Cornwall (chair)
Cliff Brown - 81 Employers Group
Mike Reynolds - A& P Docks
David Steadman – Cornwall College/Falmouth Marine School
Scott Sharples – Cornwall Council Community Network Manager
Tim Light – Fal River Links
Neil Tinson – Falmouth Churches Together
Kay Lambkin - Member of the public
John Langan - Falmouth Harbour Commissioners
Matthew Vowels – Cornwall Development Company
Dick Stiles - Falmouth Civic Society
Pam Faulkner – Falmouth and District Hoteliers Association
Oliver Cramp - Falmouth Town Council
Mark Williams – Falmouth Town Council
Richard Gates – Falmouth Town Manager
Sally Stiles - Falmouth Residents Association
Jackie George - Falmouth Watersports Association
John Slaughter - Independent
Chris Smith - RIBA
Lorely Lloyd - Transition Falmouth
John Bottomley – Transport Group
Jilly Easterby - University College Falmouth

Strategy Soup?

The Strategies (we think) that are currently under way in/for Falmouth include the following:

Completed
  • Falmouth and Penryn Community Plan
  • Cornwall Council Economic Strategy White Paper
  • Strategic Investment Framework - a bidding document for the Convergence programme
In draft
  • Community Network Programme - a sumamry of local community plans
  • Local Investment Framework
In train
  • CC Sustainable Community Strategy
  • CC Local Development Framework
  • CC Local Transport Plan (LTP3)
  • Port of Falmouth masterplan
  • Industrial Estates masterplan
  • CC Car Park strategy - about 12 months form completion
  • Church Street Car Park development options
Coming soon?
  • CC Green paper for Cornwall
  • Town Development Framework - an input to the Local Development Framework

Farewell John Slaughter

... and so, farewell John Slaughter: former chair of the Town Forum, former trustee of the Cornwall Maritime Museum, tireless campaigner for Falmouth and especially its traffic systems.

At the Forum meeting on 12 May John was presented with a model bollard, complete with flashing lights.

John has not only chaired the Forum, but has been involved in many consultation exercises in Falmouth, lately driving us all through the production of the Community Plan. His only failure that anyone can remember was his inability to get the Council to see the benefit of pay-on-exit at the car parks. To the last he was proposing new ideas: he left his last Forum with instructions that we should explore making Falmouth the first 20 mph town in Cornwall.

Paying tribute to John, Jonathan Griffin said ' The Forum is reassured to know that we will be receiving regular reports on the Cardiff traffic system. It has been suggested that we should arrange a twinning arrangement with the city burghers who are, as yet, innocent of what awaits them: "That castle will have to move and who on earth had the idea of building a rugby ground just there; now about this roundabout ..."

'It is impossible not to hold John in high regard. His energy and dogged determination have been to Falmouth's considerable benefit. we will all miss his contributions and often devious logic. We wish him well.'