Footnotes and postcards 3
Written by Cheryl, Queen of Markets - view original post here.
Dear reader,
I really want to share a note I wrote when I was in Cornwall a few weeks ago
After swimming in the calm waters, I fell asleep on the beach today. It was absolutely bliss. I can’t remember the last time I did that, drifting off to the sound of the water rushing the shore line, an occasional swooping sea bird, yap yaps from dogs enjoying the sand. Not a single radio, speaker or video phone call. Nothing to spoil the serenity.
No car park close by, so the only people on the beach near me are walkers. Most of the tourists are clustered around Mounts Bay, attempting to cross the causeway to St Michael’s Mount before the sea has retreated. I watched as a woman in kitten heeled mules sunk softly into the sand. Then I moved on.
The only sound, and one that local Penzance residents are justifiably unhappy about, are the regular helicopters that fly from Penzance to the Scilly Isles. There was a huge public campaign to stop them, but the service was launched in March 2020.
Now, the company has applied to Cornwall Council for a change in Sunday opening hours, an extension to the morning and evening window for engine testing, and to broaden the range of helicopters permitted to fly. Local residents are worried this will allow the company to use noisier and dirtier aircraft, to allow unrestricted private and scenic flights, and to remove its obligation to monitor noise and nuisance.
The Heliport is controlled by Robert Dorrien-Smith and family, and his company Tresco Island Ltd is the 100% owner of Penzance Heliport Ltd. An article on Helihub also states that
‘they are seeking removal of the requirement for the heliport operator to employ “a suitably competent and qualified person” to measure, assess and report noise levels to the Planning Authority, with records to be retained for three years.’
The company continually state that the service is ‘a lifeline for the residents of the Scilly Isles’. I can’t imagine many can afford it. Unless they happen to own Tresco¹. Local Penzance residents don’t benefit, nor do businesses if people who can afford to take a helicopter ride turn up, take off, return, then leave without needing to visit the town. It’s one thing to have an emergency service, but this isn’t one.
The current planning conditions allow for 204 helicopter flights a week. That’s 17 return journeys per day Monday-Saturday. If you live in a city you may occasionally complain about police helicopters flying overhead. Imagine that 17 times a day.
The Scilly Isles are a beautiful place to visit. There are already several ways to get there; boat from Penzance or a short flight from Lands End, Newquay and Exeter airports. If you want to add your voice, it looks as if the planning application is still open for comments.
