Cornish Guardian 16/10/2003

Site Technically Unsuitable by Mr P. Ettenfield, Fowey

As most local people know, the Carlyon Bay beach was formed from sand produced by the metal and china clay mining operations over many years.

About 30 years ago my employers stopped discharging sand and clay waste into the Carveor stream that enters the sea at Carlyon Bay. Some weeks later the then owner of the beach complex pleaded with us to restart the discharge as his beach was "disappearing".

That has not in fact happened, but over the years I have observed that some sections of the beach have become narrower and steeper and over much of the area the sand layer is thinnner.

What may not be generally known is that this part of the cornish coastline is on a massive crush zone that would have compared with the San Andreas fault in geological history. The crushed and fractured rocks are especially susceptible to erosion by atmospheric and sea weathering.

I believe there is a risk that teh new structures and the storms will speed up loss of sand to the sea and could, over the years, deprive the public of all the beach outside the proposed sea wall.

I would like to be assured that the District Council cannot be held responsible for issuing planning permission for a technically unsuitable site should this be the case.

That brings me to my main concern; that the developers may be relying on Restormel Council to recompense them for loss of profit, which could be millions of pounds, in the event that planning permission is refused, as happened in the Victoria/Roche case.