How time fly’s one month on and several meetings and training sessions to include miscellaneous licensing, Licensing Act… Code of Conduct….Scrutiny…. Induction….Full Council…..and 2 day planning ….

As a licensing Act member I have found myself in the forefront of licensing issues and hearings making up a team of 3 to consider issuing licenses of premises. I have also been selected for planning central and the new rules mean we can’t vote on planning in our area… we can support planning applications and speak at the meetings; but if it’s in your own division you can’t vote.

Planning training opened my eyes to the fact Cornwall Council have selected sites to build 52,500 houses of which 38,000 are already earmarked.

Which I raised the question who are these house for??? As I have not seen many earmarked for local need and when I challenge Cornwall council where are the jobs to support these houses; along with hospitals and schools. The reply was 60% were for people moving into Cornwall retired so would not need jobs. So it looks like Cornwall is going to become a retirement hub?????

The new leader Adam Paynter is against this housing too so let’s hope it’s not too late. I do struggle with the concept of building so many houses which are in open countryside i.e., Launceston, Liskeard, Newquay, yet hardly any are eco friendly, carbon neutral, and once built costs not only drain the worlds resources but encourage fuel poverty.

So when is open countryside not open countryside ????

It’s been busy in the division with highway issues, pot holes, speeding , rubbish,  signs no one wants to see,  several planning applications and the on-going appeal 46 houses St. Ive road.

If anyone has a 1/2 bed bungalow would like to swap with an elderly couple who can cope with two sets of steps I would be delighted to hear from you … must be in Pensilva …Home-choice seem to be hopeless!!!!!

Looking forward to meeting more people in the coming weeks and remember the Millennium centre is yours and now is the time to get involved!!

Cornwall Councillor Sharon Daw