We had an amazing response rate. 888 responses, so just over 30% of the 2903 surveys sent out. This is high for a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) project and thanks to not only our amazing community but all who are working on and helping with our parishes NDP project.

• Click here for a PDF copy of the survey.

We held 2 public meetings, one in Goonhavern Village Hall at 7:30pm on Tuesday the 15th of October and one in the Perranporth Memorial Hall, also at 7:30pm, on Wednesday the 16th of October.

The meeting in Goonhavern had about 10 people who were not part of the NDP Steering Group and the Perranporth meeting about 40.

An overall summary was given, followed by a summary from each of the group leads:

1. Christine, head of the Environment & Heritage Group (PDF presentation)
2. Roger, head of our Housing Group (
3. Kevin, head of the Business, Employment, Transport & Infrastructure (BETI) Group.

Then the prize draw (1 in Goonhavern, 2 in Perranporth).

General Statistics by Rory Jenkins (current chairman)

• Slightly more women responded than men. 55% women.
• Most respondents were 36 or older.
• Most responses from Perranporth > Goonhavern > Bolingey > Rose before the other hamlets. So, in keeping with the sizes of our main settlements.
• Most respondents live in a house, not a flat.
• Most respondents are owner occupiers, not tenants or in social housing.
• Massive range of groups, where the most popular were:
  • Fitness clubs & classes 21% >
  • Pilates & Yoga 20% >
  • Surfing community 15% >
  • Surf Life Saving Club 13% >
  • local churches 15 %>
  • Rugby Club 9%
  • BUT also 12% said not groups. This could mean that there are isolated people in our community we could all do more to engage with.
• Massive use of community facilities with the most popular being:
  • Local Shops 91% in general and specifically the Chemist 90%, Local supermarkets 90%, the Garden Centre 78%, Restaurants 76%, Pubs 76%, the Petrol Station 75%, Post Office 75%, Cafes 74% and Take away 61%.
  • Also 59% of respondents use Public Conveniences in the parish
• Top priorities were given as:
  • Medical Facilities
  • Environment
  • Road Safety

Environment & Heritage Group

Christine talked visitors through the her Environment & Heritage presentation (this is a large PDF), including taking questions from the audience as they arose. In particular, in both Goonhavern and Perranporth there was quite a detailed discussion about the planned roll out of 5G and how this could have a negative impact on the environment.

Overall there was exceptionally strong support for the issues the questions asked about.

1. It is important that we identify, protect and enhance buffer areas that we wish to retain as our green spaces for the use of wildlife and the Community.
2. Existing trees, woodland, hedgerows and Cornish hedges should be retained, conserved and enhanced in order to maintain and create effective wildlife habitats and corridors.
3. It is important that our villages and hamlets retain their unique and distinctive characteristics as separate and individual settlements.
4. The retention and preservation of important panoramic landscape views and vistas is key to maintaining and enhancing landscape integrity.
5. The infrastructure for delivering 5G, with the benefit of around 10 times current mobile data speeds, should not result in the removal of, or damage to, existing trees, hedgerows, wildlife areas and wildlife corridors.
6. All new developments should include integral bio-diversity enhancement measures such as bird boxes/bee bricks and open sustainable drainage systems to attract and protect wildlife as a
   planning condition.

As shown by this bar chart, well over 90% responded with either Strongly Agree or Agree to each question:

Housing Group

Roger, head of the Housing Group, focused on those issues most likely to have a direct impact on the end NDP document.

He had a different presentation for Goonhavern and Perranporth, as for each he compared the parish results, with the results from those from each of these areas. In general there was no significant difference between responses from these areas and the general response. But without looking you don’t find that sort of thing out !

• Goonhavern Housing presentation (large PDF)
• Perranporth Housing presentation (large PDF)
  The Perranporth presentation included a question for the audience on a Primary Residency Policy (PRP) or not.

At both locations, there were questions and discussions around what the audience understood by the housing questions in the survey. There was also discussion about creating Settlement Boundaries around Perranporth and Goonhavern and whether those present did or didn’t want our end NDP to have a Primary Residency Policy (PRP) or not.

Post the Perranporth discussion around PRP a show of hands poll of the audience had:

• 17 Strong yes
• 7 Yes
• 1 Neutral
• 2 No
• 1 Strong no

(Excluding members of the NDP Steering Group, the Perranporth meeting had just under 40 parishioners.)

There were many audience comments relating to PRP including (paraphrased):

• The local estate agents have lists of those looking for housing in the parish and roughly half of these are from beyond the parish and appear to be those looking for holiday homes / second homes / to let out to holiday maker properties.
• Tywarnhayle Road has sections of the road, where out of season many properties have no night time lights on in season midweek late night noise is a problem for those who have to get up for work.
• In other areas properties have returned to being full time occupied from being holiday let properties.
• There is a concern that if St Agnes and Crantock have PRPs, then Perranporth will be targeted by developers and in general for those looking for non primary residence properties.

Business, Employment, Transport & Infrastructure (BETI) Group

Kevin, head of the Business, Employment, Transport & Infrastructure (BETI) Group went through a detailed BETI presentation on many of the BETI questions and their responses.

Kevin reminded all of us, if we are a business owner, or if we know a business owner, that a survey of local businesses is currently underway.

Some summary points that I (Rory, NDP chairman) picked up:

• Want more wind and solar power, but not more solar farms.
• Against more AirBnB, holiday houses, second homes & static caravans, but appreciate the benefit of tourism and want a longer season, more hotels.
• Want an event space and more cultural events.
• Want to keep and expand the employment base, especially new technology and year round employment.
• There’s a strong desire for more studios and workshops, shared workspaces, and year round traders, but less appetite for more shops and offices.
• Want better bus and general public transport improvements.
• Very positive about improving and enhancing cycling within and beyond the parish (links).
• Strong support for 20mph in residential areas.
• Very strong support for the reinstatement of Tamblyn Way steps down to the beach from Droskyn.
• Very strong support to improve the range of medical, health and educational resources in the parish.
• Exceptionally strong support for the concept that future development should not increase the risk of flooding.
• A strong feeling that there is a good quality of life in the parish, but that there is potential to make this even better.

We then had the prize draw

What next ?

The Steering Group, who are always keen to have more volunteers, so if anybody feels they can help in any way, please get in touch, will be digging more into the survey results, undertaking a Survey of local businesses, investigating and consulting further.

All of this will then turn into a draft Neighbourhood Plan for our parish.

This is then shared with you and put to a list of statutory consultees including Cornwall Council

Once any feedback is with us and implemented, it goes to an independent examiner, who will give us feedback on whether the policies we want, as we lay them out, sit within existing national and Cornwall legislation.

Once any feedback from the examiner is dealt with it goes to a public referendum and if majority accepted it becomes adopted.

This is likely to take about a further 18 months.