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September 2008 Newsletter
Chairman's Comments To 2008 AGM
The Executive Committee tries to represent what we judge to be the views of all members of the Society. The problem is that much of what we discuss is a matter of taste so, not surprisingly, we are not always in complete agreement.
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 thoughts 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 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.
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.
Cream Teas now seem to have taken over from the coffee mornings to provide an informal means of members of the Society to meet one another and listen to a talk and discussion on items of local interest. As usual we are indebted to Terry Outing, Myra Morris, Felicity Nicholson and Veronica Whale for organising the catering. We are most grateful to Brinley Morris, often with research 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.
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 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 another purpose because it is accessible to the public at large.
The Newsletter is published two or three times a year and is 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).
Our relatively new web site, www.falmouthcivicsociety.org.uk, which was 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, ie one a day. The web site 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 members; and it provides access to other documents (e.g. previous Newsletters) as well as links to other organisations.
I mentioned last year that Carrick District Council had established a Design Review Panel and, by virtue of being Chairman of the Society I automatically became a member of it. 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. The work does not usurp in any way our Society's role in commenting on planning proposals affecting Falmouth.
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.
(i) There is a need for some reduction of traffic in the major route through town, viz. High Street, Market Strand, Market Street, Church Street and Arwenack Street, so that it is more friendly to pedestrians. Some progress is, I believe, on the way, and it now seems to be confirmed that the rising bollard scheme is a definite prospect.
(ii) 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.
(iii) To achieve this extra housing it is preferable to build on brown-field sites .......
rather than encroach upon the countryside. At the same time it is necessary to avoid over-development.
(iv) 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.
I am most grateful to all the members of the Executive Committee for their work throughout the past year, and to all members of the Society for their continued support.
Eric Roberts
The Executive Committee are so sorry for the non-appearance of our guest speaker for the AGM, Mike Reynolds of A&P, Falmouth Docks. He subsequently advised us that he had the wrong date in his diary.
The next Cream Tea will be held on Tuesday, 30th.September 2008 at the usual venue of King Charles Coffee Shop, (below the Church) Arwenack Street, Falmouth starting at 3.30pm. Brinley Morris will be giving one of his highly entertaining talks, this one entitled "Rioting in Falmouth!". We hope for better turn out than last time, so bring along your friends!
Most people now seem to have access to a computer, even if they simply make use of those in the public library. Many now use email as a quick and immediate form of communication supplanting written correspondence and avoiding the problems that often occur with the mail services. The Executive Committee feel that it may be useful from time to time if the Society could communicate with such members who use computers via email. Therefore, we would urge all members who have access to computers to log onto the web site and leave a note of their email address. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.
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