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The pressure for new housing is emphasised by this piece from the West Briton:
Councillors discuss Ships and Castles and Quarry Hill Car Park as possible development sites
By WBHuw | Posted: August 23, 2015
SHIPS and Castles Leisure Centre and Quarry Hill car park are among several places in Falmouth that have been proposed as sites to be redeveloped for housing.
Councillors in Falmouth are being asked to submit a full list of brownfield sites in their wards. These sites will then be registered by central government as pressures grow on councils across Cornwall to fill housing demand.
At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council's planning committee, members were asked to submit their lists so a full list for Falmouth could be created.
In the discussions around potential brownfield sites in their wards, both Ships and Castles and the Quarry Hill Car Park were named.
Cornwall Council-owned Ships and Castles is run by Tempus Leisure but faces a significant maintenance backlog that could see it being sold off. It needs investment of at least £2 million, it was revealed, but with the entire maintenance budget of Cornwall Council being £4 million, it has started to explore options that include selling the site.
The town centre Quarry Hill car park was also specifically mentioned and could be prime development land if it were to be sold.
By building new homes on brownfield sites, councils would avoid the contentious issue of building on greenfield land on the outskirts of towns.
Recent proposals for a housing development at Swanpool in Falmouth were rejected in part because of an outcry over building on green land.
Falmouth councillors were expected to submit all of their lists last week, to go forward as part of the Government's Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment and Register of Brownfield Land.
The deadline for brownfield sites to be registered is September 7.
Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Council...tory-27651282-detail/story.html#ixzz3jcfuJNXQ
Brownfield sites sound a better option than greenfield sites, but these two are curious choices. Ships and Castles is the town's only swimming pool, apart from two or three in big hotels. But its location, high on Pendennis headland, with superb views over Falmouth harbour, means that it would only be suitable for luxury accommodation.
Well, they could always drive into town... But Falmouth already has a shortage of parking, and if the Quarry car park is also built on, the problem would be even worse! We seem to have a real Catch 22 situation here. And in the end, I suspect that this may prove an excuse to use greenfield sites after all...
[Edit: Minor changes to picture and text.]
Councillors discuss Ships and Castles and Quarry Hill Car Park as possible development sites
By WBHuw | Posted: August 23, 2015
SHIPS and Castles Leisure Centre and Quarry Hill car park are among several places in Falmouth that have been proposed as sites to be redeveloped for housing.
Councillors in Falmouth are being asked to submit a full list of brownfield sites in their wards. These sites will then be registered by central government as pressures grow on councils across Cornwall to fill housing demand.
At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council's planning committee, members were asked to submit their lists so a full list for Falmouth could be created.
In the discussions around potential brownfield sites in their wards, both Ships and Castles and the Quarry Hill Car Park were named.
Cornwall Council-owned Ships and Castles is run by Tempus Leisure but faces a significant maintenance backlog that could see it being sold off. It needs investment of at least £2 million, it was revealed, but with the entire maintenance budget of Cornwall Council being £4 million, it has started to explore options that include selling the site.
The town centre Quarry Hill car park was also specifically mentioned and could be prime development land if it were to be sold.
By building new homes on brownfield sites, councils would avoid the contentious issue of building on greenfield land on the outskirts of towns.
Recent proposals for a housing development at Swanpool in Falmouth were rejected in part because of an outcry over building on green land.
Falmouth councillors were expected to submit all of their lists last week, to go forward as part of the Government's Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment and Register of Brownfield Land.
The deadline for brownfield sites to be registered is September 7.
Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Council...tory-27651282-detail/story.html#ixzz3jcfuJNXQ
Brownfield sites sound a better option than greenfield sites, but these two are curious choices. Ships and Castles is the town's only swimming pool, apart from two or three in big hotels. But its location, high on Pendennis headland, with superb views over Falmouth harbour, means that it would only be suitable for luxury accommodation.
The glass structure of Ships and Castles overlooks Falmouth town and harbour. (June, 2005)
And those looking for 'affordable' accommodation would not like the position because there are no nearby facilities such as shops. (Views and fresh air are all very well, but...)
Well, they could always drive into town... But Falmouth already has a shortage of parking, and if the Quarry car park is also built on, the problem would be even worse! We seem to have a real Catch 22 situation here. And in the end, I suspect that this may prove an excuse to use greenfield sites after all...
[Edit: Minor changes to picture and text.]
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