Extracts from the Chairman’s Report to the Annual General Meeting of the Falmouth Civic Society, 28 February, 2008
Much of what we do in this Society involves us in communication of one sort or another, and soon this occasion I thought I would make this my theme.
Executive Committee Meetings
The Executive Committee tries to represent what we judge to be the views of all members of the Society. But, of course, this cannot always be possible, for our individual views are not always identical: it is even difficult sometimes to reach a consensus within the Committee. The problem is that much of what we discuss is a matter of taste so, not surprisingly, we are not always in complete agreement. It is not uncommon, for example, for my own view to be overruled by the majority of the committee.
In order that we can better serve the Society it would be helpful if individual members who hold strong views on any particular issue could communicate their thought to the Committee. At the same time we have to remember that views expressed with great conviction are not necessarily the best. Sometimes the silent majority may be right.
The Committee continues to meet every month. Its main work is to examine new planning proposals to see if we think they are appropriate. By which I mean we try to ensure that developments do not detract from the the charm, function and environment of Falmouth, and do not obliterate or detract from manifestations of its interesting history. More positively we hope to encourage good design and enhance the facilities and services of the town.
Internal and External Interactions
Clearly communication between the Committee and the members of our Society is important. And it is important, too, for the Society to communicate with the planning authorities (which we do regularly and directly) and the public at large (which is more difficult). The Annual General Meetings and, more informally, the Cream Teas are the main opportunities which enable any member to have face-to-face interaction with other members of the Society.
Afternoon Cream Teas and Talks
Cream Teas now seem to have taken over from coffee mornings to provide an informal means of members of the Society to meet one another a listen to a talk and discussion on items of local interest. Since the last AGM, the Society arranged three of these events – on 29th March and 1st October, 2007, and 24th January, 2008 – and we were delighted that on the last occasion four members of our sister organization, the Truro Civic Society, accepted our invitation to attend. As usual we are indebted to Terry Outing , Myra Morris, Felicity Nicholson and Veronica Whale for organizing the catering. We are most grateful to Brinley Morris, often with research help from Felicity Nicholson, for his continuing series of talks on various aspects of the history of Falmouth. These have been a great success, and we hope they will continue in the future, because although Falmouth is young when compared with Penryn, it still has a lot of history. Versions of these talks subsequently appear in the Newsletter and on the web site.
But, while the AGM and the Cream Teas remain significant events, we have to recognise that they are attended by only a minority – albeit a significant minority – of the Society. Hence the Newsletter is particularly important because it is distributed to all members of the society, and the newly created web site serves a another purpose because it is accessible to the public at large.
The Newsletter
The Newsletter is usually published two or three times a year and distributed to all members of the Society. Joe Hellyer undertakes this task and does an excellent job in its design, editing and printing (the rest of the Committee share the task of distribution).. I am sure we are all most grateful to Joe for the excellent, professional quality of the production. TheNewsletters form a useful, easily accessible record of matters of interest to the Society, and we now archive them electronically so that they are available through the web site.
The Web Site
Our relatively new web site, established in August, 2006, is another vehicle which may become more important as more and more people become familiar with computers. Currently it is consulted by about 30 people a month, i.e. one a day. The web has several properties which give it some advantages over our other means of communication: it lends itself to two-way interaction; it is available for consultation by anyone, not just the members; and it provides access to other documents (e.g. previous Newsletters, as noted above) as well as links to other organisations relevant to those who have an interest in Falmouth.
We are most grateful to Angela Shields who designed and manages the site for us. We are also grateful to Terry Outing who has provided most of the photographs for it. If anyone has any ideas for additions or improvements to the site, we would be very glad to hear from them.
Carrick Design Review Panel
I mentioned last year that Carrick District Council had established a Design Review Panel and, by virtue of being Chairman of Falmouth Civic Society I automatically became a member of it. Initially the Panel met at irregular intervals but the work has increased and now it has become the practice to meet regularly every month for an all-day meeting.
The role of the Panel is to consider projects of all types and sizes before they reach the stage of a formal planning application. The main objective is to provide advice and guidance in an open forum with the developer or the institution making the proposal, together with their architects. It is a separate entity and independent from Carrick District Council Planning Department. Currently the Panel is Chaired by the Design Champion of CDC and the ten members include seven professional architects and planners. Clearly, then, I am very much a lay member. I believe, however, that having such a strong professional core enables the panel to bring informed understanding and authority to its advice. Accordingly, I think the Panel does a useful job. The projects which come before it are varied and usually, but not always, large; so, for example, recent work has included consideration a wide range of projects, from replacement of Penmere Hotel in Perranporth to a Lifeguards Hut on Gyllingvase Beach. The work does not usurp in any way our Society’s role in commenting on planning proposals affecting Falmouth.
The Future
The problems of development and planning in Falmouth have been debated on innumerable occasions and remain with us, but gradually, I believe, a consensus is emerging. It includes the following four main principles.
1. There is a need for some reduction of traffic in the major route through the town, viz. High Street, Market Strand, Market Street, Church Street, Arwenack Street, so that it is more friendly to pedestrians. But this has to be achieved without detriment to trading in this major retail area, or without denying access to those who live there, or to making access difficult for the emergency sevices. Some progress, I believe, is on the way: it now seems to be confirmed that the rising-bollard scheme opposite ‘The Grapes’ is a definite prospect and could be in place in October.
2. Additional housing needs to be provided, including ‘affordable’ housing, although it has to be recognised that hardly any housing for purchase is now affordable to those on low incomes.
3. To achieve this extra housing it is preferable to build on brownfield sites rather than encroach upon the countryside. At the same time it is necessary to avoid over-development. I believe we need further debate on what we mean by over-development for our purpose, since current definitions are vague. For example, the Government Planning Portal defines over-development as “An amount of development (for example, the quantity of buildings or intensity of use) that is excessive in terms of demands on infrastructure and services, or impact on local amenity and character.”
4. We need to preserve the character of the town and the best of its architecture, especially in the conservation areas and the harbour front. At the same time we need to encourage the best in contemporary architecture. Georgian terraces are generally recognised as splendid but, had our ancestors in that era insisted on new projects fitting in with surrounding architecture, they could not have been built. Neither do we worry too much that, as cathedrals grew, the contemporary gothic syle was often added to Norman structures, or that successive and contiguous courts in Cambridge colleges or quads in Oxford were built in the styles of their time, rather than trying to match the previous architecture. Yet we now perceive many of these conglomerations as developments of great charm.
Acknowledgements
I am most grateful to all the members of the Executive Committee for their work throughout the past year, and to all the members of the Society for their continued support.
Eric Roberts
28 February, 2008
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