Crinnis beach in July 2008

One of the inducements offered by Ampersand at the Public Inquiry in 2006 was the proposal that, if they won, they would ensure public access to the beaches at Carlyon Bay.  This was not a condition included in the 1989 planning consent.  Ampersand threatened to revert to that old, outdated, consent if they were denied consent to the illegal sea wall, which they began building without a shred of planning permission and which is presently blighting the beaches.  Ampersand persist in claiming that this "public access" is a significant benefit of their new plans, which they appear to have not yet abandoned - despite losing the Public Inquiry into the sea wall upon which those plans depend. 

Attention must be drawn to the fallacy of their claim to have been offering this so-called public access.

During the Public Inquiry, the level of access that Ampersand would agree to was restricted as follows:

• Access by the public subject to closure for "operational, construction, maintenance or health and safety reasons".  The Inspector at the Public Inquiry reported that these might be "possible temporary restrictions", although real doubts were expressed that such restrictions could ever be monitored satisfactorily as only temporary.  Combined, they might add up more to exclusion that access.
• The major additional restriction in Ampersand's offered access agreement was "for no more than 12 special paying events per year, each of which would not exceed five consecutive days".  This is more than 60 days of exclusion.  The Inspector acknowledged in his report that "there could be significant periods, probably duing the summer months, when access would be denied".  These are direct quotes from the Inspector's report!

It is clear why, in these circumstances, Carlyon Bay Watch considers that Ampersand's idea of "public access" falls far short of that which they promote, or would lead the public to believe from their press statements.

Carlyon Bay Watch supports the inclusion on the definitive map of public rights of way of the Beach Road route to the beaches as recently confirmed by Cornwall Council.  Ampersand have appealed against this inclusion and another Public Inquiry is to be held on this specific issue, commencing on 8th September 2009 and scheduled to last four days.  Ampersand claims that the "public right of way" designation is unnecessary and their offer of very restricted access to the beaches should be accepted by the public in its place.  (Of course, there would be no right of access at all if Ampersand loses their appeal against the Secretary of State's decision to refuse planning permission for the sea wall).

The important right, taken for granted by local people and visitors alike over many, many decades, to visit St Austell's longest and, at one time, best beaches must not be lost to any developer's "half-way"  proposals.