"Hi Natural England ... 

 

Can you help us? 

 

We are not just fighting a developer – we are fighting our local planning department. The town is up in arms at the prospect of the beautiful grounds of Treloyhan Manor – former home of the Victorian Shipping magnate Edward Hain – being built on. This beautiful approach to St Ives will be sacrificed for the short term gain of a greedy Hotel chain. But Cornwall Council have accepted a ‘dodgy dossier’ from the Ecological Consultants that missed out 30% of the development site. The Ecologists then claimed they did survey the whole area - they just forgot to colour in the map! – that’s even though that unsurveyed area turned out to have 2 badger setts on it and 6 tree species unrecorded anywhere on the grounds by the Ecologists! 

 

The Council are now accepting short notice badger surveys by the same ecologists - and prepared any moment to issue approval without sending the application back to be voted on again by their Committee, as they should. 

 

The Tree Survey was also a ‘dodgy dossier’ and understated the trees to be felled by 35% (a total of 85 trees will go!), and the Tree Survey labelled a third of all the trees as “to be felled” in one list, and “to be retained” in another list – effectively disguising the total tree loss. There are breeding records for 5 Biodiversity Action Plan bird Species, breeding Tawny Owls, sparrowhawks - it’s a wildlife corridor that should be protected under the NPPF. It was fully protected under the former Local Plan, and now the St Ives Neighbourhood Plan. It has a Tree Preservation Order.... But nothing will stop the Council ... they want to approve regardless of massive local opposition. So much for localism! 

 

So, Come on Natural England – help us!!!