SANCREED PARISH PLAN

MARCH 2009

Contents

1. Vision Statement and Introduction

2. Purpose of the Parish Plan

3. The People

4. Traffic and Transport

5. The Environment

6. Community Life

7. Major Concerns

8. Identified Concerns for Action

9. Action Plans

10. What Happens Next

Vision Statement

A parish with an enhanced sense of awareness, identity and feeling of community.

The Parish of

Sancreed Parish is a beautiful inland rural parish situated in the heart of West , some three to four miles west of . The only parish in Penwith that does not border the sea, but of an open aspect with far reaching views over the surrounding countryside, it overlooks both Mounts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean beyond Pendeen. With much of its land falling within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within an Environmentally Sensitive Area, Sancreed boasts much natural

beauty which delights residents and visitors alike.

Sancreed possesses three main villages. To one side of the Parish is Newbridge, situated along the A3071 to St Just, and to the other, on the A30 to Lands End, is the smaller village of Drift. Sancreed (Churchtown), with its historic church, is situated in between. The remainder of Sancreed Parish consists of smaller hamlets: Brane, Catchall, , , Tregerest, Tregonebris; outlying farms and open moorland.

Being of a rural and widespread nature, Sancreed Parish possesses no defined centre and lacks amenities. Newbridge possesses the only public house, the Fountain Inn. There are garages both at Newbridge and Drift. Methodist Chapels can be found at Drift and Tregerest. At Sancreed are the Church, the Mary Williams Hall and Village Hall.

Residents must travel outside the parish to access amenities and services. History

The Parish of Sancreed is steeped in history, containing many ancient monuments dating back to the Iron Age. Throughout, there are the remains of ancient castles, chapels, dwellings, barrows and standing stones. Sancreed Church, dedicated to St Credan, was attached to the Manor of Bosvenning, before being transferred to the Church of St James in Bristol in 1182, and was part of the living of the Earl of Gloucester. In more recent times it was connected with Stanhopes Forbes and the School of painting.

In 1814 the principle villages in the parish were Bejouans, Bosvennen, Botreah, Sellan, Trenuggo and Tregonebris. The main road from St Just to Penzance came over Bosvenning and Roskennals Common, the present Newbridge road being built as a result of the mining at Geevor and Levant.

Newbridge and the smaller community of Drift were once thriving villages, self sufficient with shops, chapels, mills, blacksmiths’ and carpenters’ shops, to name but a few. Newbridge also had its own school, post office, restaurant, public house and garage. Of these only the public house and garage remain. The last to go, the Methodist Chapel is in the process of being converted to two dwellings. Sancreed, too, had its own school and public house.

Farm land beyond Drift was flooded in 1961 to provide water for the area and make what is now the . What was a landscape of small family farms remains agricultural, but many of these have now been absorbed or joined together to form fewer but larger farming businesses. Many farm houses and barns are now residential and holiday property conversions. The Purpose of the Parish Plan

The purpose of the Sancreed Parish Plan is to set out an achievable and long term vision for the future of Sancreed Parish. Its objectives are drawn from the most important issues identified by residents in the parish appraisal questionnaire and presentation day in Sancreed Village Hall. The Parish Plan identifies respondents’ local needs, providing a working document for all: residents of the parish, the Parish Council, the new Council, as well as for other agencies, organisations and individuals with interests in our community.

Producing the Plan

This parish plan was produced as the result of a group of residents identifying what they saw as the lack of a community feeling within the wider parish and deciding to investigate what should be the way forward. A steering group was set up comprising of residents and members of the Parish Council. Advice was received from the crcc and Penwith District Council. A grant was received from DEFRA, through the Local Area Agreement process, together with a small donation from the Parish Council. A Parish Appraisal Questionnaire was produced, which was delivered by hand to every household in Sancreed Parish, the response rate of which was 59%. Following the analysis of the survey, a presentation day was held in Sancreed Village Hall, when residents were able to make additional comments and suggestions.

Members of the Steering Committee

Caroline Boulton, Jeff Goodman, Kate Goodman, Barbara Hattam, Graham Hattam, Siggi Hawken, Tony Hole, Gerald Hull, Margaret Hull, Angela Lyle, Ian Smith, Rose Smith, David Tucker. Several other residents helped by delivering questionnaires.

The People

Sancreed Parish has a population of around 628 (2001 Census). The response rate was 59% of all households.

Homes and Housing

Of respondents, 42% have lived in the Parish for over 20 years, with 10.5% being resident for over 50 years. 22% are over the age of 65 19% are under the age of 18

81% of responding households stated that they owned their own homes. House prices have prevented some members of households from having their own home within the parish

48% of respondents feel that there is a need for affordable housing in the parish, Newbridge, Drift and Sancreed being the preferred locations. Most respondents feel that any new development should blend in with the surrounding environment, however, because of current planning policy there is no proposed development in Sancreed Parish.

Employment

Of those who responded, the majority (82%) of residents in employment work in Penzance or West Penwith. Of these, 29% work from home. 39% of respondents are employed full and part time 41% are self employed, full and part time 24% of residents are retired

Major areas of employment are: education, health/care, farming, retail, public sector and construction. There is a small light industrial unit at Catchall on the site of the old dairy. There is a fish and shellfish waste storage and processing plant at Newbridge. Some small businesses in the parish are run by non residents.

Employment within the parish is mainly agricultural or self employment.

Mobile phone/Broadband Reception

Mobile phone and broadband reception is problematic in some areas.

31% bad mobile phone reception 35% bad broadband reception

• “Non-existent – very hard to run a business without broadband, but we can’t get it!”

Traffic and Transport

Sancreed Parish is bounded by the A 30 to the south, passing through Drift, and the A 3071 to the north, passing through Newbridge. Sancreed and the remaining hamlets and dwellings are served by a network of narrow country lanes.

Whilst residents of Newbridge villages are on regular through bus routes, services to residents of Drift, Grumbla and Sancreed are less frequent due to their more isolated positions. For many dwellings, again owing to their isolated nature, there is no service at all.

2% 9%

Regularly Sometimes Never 38% No response 51%

Use of Public Transport

Consequently, the use of a car is considered a necessity by many residents of the parish. • 69% of workers use a car to get to work 8% use public transport • 70% use a car to get to school 18% use public transport • 91% use a car to access health services 8% use public transport • 92% use a car to undertake grocery shopping 7% use public transport

Sancreed’s narrow country lanes, perceived as an asset by many, have their own problems, mainly caused by users who do not respect their nature. Used by families, children, walkers, horse riders and cyclists, besides cars, buses, lorries and agricultural vehicles, the problems of size and speed of vehicles arise. In fact the speeding of vehicles is the concern that unites residents throughout Sancreed Parish.

Traffic and Transport cont’

Situated along busy main roads, Newbridge and Drift have additional speeding problems. In both villages, traffic continues to break the 30 mph speed limits, causing a danger to road users and pedestrians alike. In Newbridge, pedestrians risk their lives, when walking through the village, as there are no pavements and lorries rarely slow down.

5%

21%

Yes No No response

74%

Concerns with Speeding Traffic

Identified concerns:

• Speeding traffic 74% of respondents were concerned with speeding traffic “Speeding traffic through Newbridge, -Drift, -Sancreed” “ Some tractors go too fast! ” “ Milk tanker, lorries and public cars go too fast!” “Enforce existing speed limits.”

• Road safety 58% were concerned with personal safety “All local lanes need low speeds due to narrowness and poor visibility.” “ Pavements where possible!”

• Other related concerns: Lack of pavements Size of vehicles Mud on road

The Environment

Sancreed Parish has a predominantly rural and agricultural landscape, of open fields and moorland with magnificent, far reaching views, crossed by networks of lanes and footpaths and interspersed by small clumps of trees. A large part of the parish is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Within the parish are Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Areas of Great Archaeological Interest. Sancreed Churchtown is a Conservation Area and several buildings, including the milk stand at Tregerest and the bridge in Newbridge, are listed buildings. Bosvenning and Roskennals Common at Newbridge, and are part of the Heathlands project, where various trial plantings are being carried out.

The river, forming the parish boundary between Sancreed and , runs from Newbridge to the reservoir at Drift, which is used for fly fishing. The old Mill Leat, running from Newbridge, which previously would have worked Roskennals Mill, is now obsolete in this respect. It is, however, used by South West Water, to carry discharge from the Newbridge Sewage Works, to their reservoir at Drift. There is a ongoing problem, not yet resolved, with the flow of the water in the leat.

Housing is predominantly within the major villages of Drift, Newbridge and Sancreed. Larger buildings are found on farms and the few industrial units within the parish.

The majority of residents in Sancreed are happy with their existing environment and want to protect it .

“We love Sancreed the way it is – please don’t change it!” “Peace, quiet and tranquillity” “Unspoilt beauty ”

However, the following concerns have been raised by residents :

• Lack of trees 67% of respondents would like to see more trees in the Parish, the majority favouring native trees (95), whilst others prefer fruit trees (42).

• Light Pollution from street lights 24% were concerned about the level of lighting. Comments ranging from no lights at all, switching off at 11 pm, dimming, changing colour, downward pointing.

Other concerns: Litter and fly tipping Dog fouling

Footpaths

Most felt that the network of footpaths across the parish is an asset that should be protected and improved where this was needed.

Improvements suggested were more sign posting, repairs to stiles, regular cutting, improved drainage, less dog fouling and less rubbish.

Also suggested was the production of a footpath map.

Assets of the parish

84% considered the countryside to be Sancreed’s greatest asset.

Other assets: Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, , Bosvenning Common, , Caer Bran, Sancreed well, Sancreed Church, Drift reservoir,

peace and quiet.

Community Life

There was a feeling throughout that there was a general lack of community life as well as a lack of communication, within Sancreed parish. This contributed to feelings of isolation and loneliness by some residents.

Although there is a village hall in Sancreed and a public house in Newbridge, and although attempts have been made to make these the centres of the community, neither has been well supported by local people. The Mary Williams Community Hall at Sancreed is also under used.

The congregations at Sancreed Church and Drift and Tregerest Methodist Chapels are regular, but small.

In the whole of Sancreed Parish, there is one ill equipped playing field and nowhere else for children to play. This is exacerbated in Newbridge, where recent planning has allowed the creation of several dwellings with no gardens. Children are prevented from playing safely because of the dangerous roads throughout the parish.

Services

Residents travel out of the parish to access all services, Penzance being the favoured place.

Doctor 84% Penzance 13% St Just

Dentist 73% Penzance 9% 8% Elsewhere in Cornwall 8% Outside Cornwall (Other health care is accessed in Penzance, , other venues across Cornwall, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth.)

Grocery Shopping 93% Penzance 33% St Just

Post Office 51% Penzance 29% St Just 12% Newlyn NB Alverton Post Office was used by 22% of respondents but this has now been closed.

Refuse Collection The 87% of responding households are happy with the current refuse collection, although some felt that the collection could be from where they actually lived.

Community Life cont’

“It would be nice if our wheelie bin could be picked up outside our house, rather than a quarter of a mile up the lane.”

“Our Rubbish is collected over a mile from our Door”. “It can be a long way for elderly residents to take their bins to the main road.”

Recycling 51% were happy with recycling services although some felt that the collection of cardboard and more plastics would improve the service.

Composting Collection 32% were happy with the present composting arrangements. 28% were not. 16% didn’t realise that there was one. Residents felt that the composting collection left room for improvement; in particular, informing residents that this service was available. 41% would use a community composting collection

Renewable energy

41% of responding households would like to see alternative energy sources in the parish, with solar power being the favourite. A further 20% were maybe or unsure.

Recreational Facilities

“None in our village!” “Didn’t know there were any!” “What does this mean? The swings?” “We need better play facilities for children.” “No community meeting place in Drift.”

With no services, post office, shops or café, residents are acutely aware of the lack of facilities available to them as a community and of no-where to pass the time of day.

Parish Council

Three quarters of Sancreed inhabitants are aware of the Parish Council and its monthly meetings. Although not all know all of their Councillors, 84% are aware that they can approach their Councillors should they have any concerns. Some residents feel that they would like to know more of what is going on. Although all Council meetings are open to members of the public, with a regular time when people can speak, not all residents are aware of this and few besides the Council, attend. Therefore, improved communication between the Council and electors is needed.

The Major Concern in Sancreed Parish

• Speeding Traffic is the main single issue throughout the Parish Associated with this were concerns over road safety and lack of pavements. Residents also raised the following issues: mud on the roads, size of the vehicles on our lanes.

Other concerns are :

• The environment . Lack of trees, level of lighting, dog fouling, fly tipping and litter and preserving the peace and quiet were all points raised.

• Lack of centralisation and feeling of community in the Parish Respondents felt that there was a general lack of facilities throughout the parish. Ideas were put forward for improving Sancreed Village Hall and also for how the Fountain Inn, in Newbridge, could be utilised.

108 respondents supported the idea of a Parish Newsletter and 79 a Parish Website.

5% 5% 5% Speeding Traffic 5% 39% Lack of Facilities Highway Issues Public Transport 7% Road safety Lack of Community Network Dog Fouling 7% Preserving peace & tranquility Smell from Western Waste Ltd

11% 16%

Concerns in Sancreed Parish

Identified Concerns for Action

Travel and Transport

Speeding Traffic

Road Safety

Lack of Pavements

Size of Vehicles

Mud on Road

The Environment

Light Pollution

Lack of Trees

Litter and Fly Tipping

Dog Fouling

Tidiness of Business Properties

Footpaths

Community Life

Lack of Community Feeling

Lack of Facilities

Lack of Communication within the Parish

TRAFFIC AND HIGHWAY CONCERNS

IDENTIFIED CONCERNS ACTION PARTNERS TIMESCALE

Speeding traffic and Road Safety a) Implement traffic calming Highways Immediate and ongoing in Newbridge, Drift, Sancreed and measures through Newbridge and Devon and Cornwall adjacent areas. Drift Constabulary b) Regular use of Speed Visor and Sancreed Parish Council Speed Gun Residents c) Investigate speed limit for Possible Funding Bodies Sancreed and additional signage

Lack of Pavements Investigate possibility of building As above Immediate and ongoing pavements in Newbridge and Drift

Mud on Roads Monitor amount of mud on roads Cornwall Council Highways Ongoing and report to relevant authorities. Devon and Cornwall Contact landowners if known. Constabulary Sancreed Parish Council NFU Land owners

THE ENVIRONMENT

IDENTIFIED CONCERNS ACTION PARTNERS TIMESCALE

Light Pollution To investigate legal brightness of Cornwall Council Highways In 2009 lighting and the possibility of Sancreed Parish Council dimming, changing direction of beam, reduced time light is on etc.

Lack of Trees Planting of more native trees in Sancreed Parish Tree Warden Immediate and ongoing the parish. Landowners Search out possible funders.

Litter and Fly Tipping Keep reporting to authorities. Cornwall Council Immediate and ongoing Investigate new signage. Sancreed Parish Council Volunteer groups to pick up litter. Residents Devon and Cornwall Constabulary

Dog Fouling Report to Environmental Health. Cornwall Council Immediate and ongoing Investigate signage. Dog Warden Educate dog owners. Sancreed Parish Council Residents

FOOTPATHS

IDENTIFIED CONCERN ACTION PARTNERS TIMESCALE

A need for better signage, repairs Ensure footpaths are well Sancreed Parish Council Immediate and ongoing. to stiles and that paths should be maintained, well signed and kept Cornwall Council Public Paths clear for walkers. clear. Improvement Plan Investigate use of footpath Cornwall Council Local volunteers to support Parish Maintenance Partnership Council work. Footpath Contractor WCFPS Walkers Volunteers

Increased Awareness of Footpaths To investigate producing a Parish Sancreed Parish Council 2009 to 2010 in Sancreed Parish Footpath Map. Sancreed Village Hall Committee To investigate producing Cornwall Council Countryside information boards showing and Natural Environment. network of footpaths and identifying walks together with places of interest. Investigate funding.

COMMUNITY LIFE

IDENTIFIED CONCERN ACTION PARTNERS TIMESCALE

Lack of Communication within Set up and maintain Parish Sancreed Village Hall Committee Immediate and ongoing. the Parish Newsletter and investigate setting Sancreed Parish Council up a Parish web site. Volunteers Investigate funding. Investigate moving notice board Sancreed Parish Council 2009 in Drift to other side of the A30. Landowners

Lack of Facilities Newbridge: investigate alternative Fountain Inn, Newbridge 2009 uses of the Fountain Inn with some daytime events. Sancreed: Investigate funding to Sancreed Village Hall Committee Immediate and ongoing. improve the condition of the Sancreed Parish Council Village Hall to enable increased Cornwall Council functions and use. crcc Investigate uses of Drift Reservoir South West Water

Raise awareness of what is Lack of Community Feeling happening in the Parish by Village Hall Committee Immediate and ongoing publicising events more in Newsletter Newsletter, notice boards, etc. Sancreed Parish Council Establish local group to encourage Residents community events.

What Happens Next?

The publication of this Parish Plan is not the end of the process. Rather it is the beginning of the actions identified in the Action Plans. To make these actions happen needs everyone working together: Community and Parish Council working with the identified partners. It is up to all of us to monitor the progress of the proposals and actions to make sure that they happen.

Already, some of the highways issues are being initiated. We must ensure that we all work together to obtain the results that we, the parishioners of Sancreed, need.

The Parish Plan is an ongoing process of identification, review and updating, in order to ensure that the changing needs of Sancreed Parish are fully met.

Let’s all work together to make what we want happen!

Acknowledgements

Sancreed Parish Plan Steering Group would like to thank

• Penwith District Council, particularly Sally Newby, for help and support throughout the plan • Cornwall Rural Community Council, Tracey Edwards and Sharon Davey for advice and support and for producing the Appraisal Booklet • Sancreed Parish Council • Barbara Hattam, Sancreed Parish Clerk, for writing up the Plan • Jeff Goodman for the photographs and design and layout of the Plan • Cornwall County Council Highways as Consultee • Devon and Cornwall Police as Consultee • All those Parishioners who took the time to complete the survey