EDUCATION in ST. DENNIS 81 Residents Who Either Have Children Or Are Planning a Family Said They Would Use the Local Primary School

ST. DENNIS PARISH PLAN 2009

Contents

• Introduction 4 • St. Dennis, Like or dislike? 6 • Young people 7 • The environment 8 • Recycling 9 • Incineration 10 • Energy use 11 • Transport 12 • Traffic related issues 13 • Education 15 • Shops and businesses 16 • Employment 17 • Housing and future development 18 • Health 22 • Well being 23 • Crime prevention 24 • Acknowledgments 26

3 INTRODUCTION

The Parish of St Dennis is situated in the centre of the Cornish peninsula approximately ten miles from the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean coastlines, positioned some 500ft above sea level. It is surrounded by the parishes of Roche to the north east, St Stephen-in-Brannel to the south west, St Enoder and St Columb Major to the west. St Dennis is believed to be named after St Denys the Martyr, although as the Parish Church is located on top of a hill, the name may have originated from the Cornish word “dinas” meaning a hill fort. The church was dedicated to St Dionysius (Denys or Dennis) in 1327. A church has stood on this site since the 11th century, although the present tower dates from the 13th century and much of the church was rebuilt in 1985 following extensive fire damage.

Originally the parish consisted of the hamlets of Hendra, Whitepit, Trelavour and Enniscaven. To the north lies the Goss Moor which is bisected by the River Fal. As one of the largest upland basins in Cornwall the Goss Moor has been extensively worked for tin up until the 1920s. The tin industry being so important as a source of revenue for the Crown that in 1201 tinners were given their own charter. Laws were drawn up so that tinners had their own courts to deal with stannary affairs. Sand extraction commenced on the Goss Moor in the 1920s in a small way but by 1939 there was a greater demand for concrete blocks and the block and sand works increased in production.

The china clay industry was born in the early 19th century and by 1807 there were seven clay works in the St Dennis and St Stephen parishes. This number increased over the years bringing wealth and employment to the area, though for many people the standard of living was hard and the wages were low. The village thrived during the 60s, 70s and 80s during a boom in the china clay industry. During the 4 late 80s and 90s however, the industry began to decline. In its heyday the village enjoyed many different shops including a Co-op store, several hairdressers (both men and ladies), four petrol filling stations and car repair workshops, two schools, two GP surgeries, chemist, fire station, blacksmiths, coalyard, two pubs, cobblers, two fish and chip shops, two bakeries, two chapels, post office, undertaker, launderette, furniture showroom, working men’s club, band club, football club and the Plaza Cinema. Sadly many of these have now closed, the Plaza closing its doors and being demolished in 1964. The village does, however, still boast many of these facilities including the Post Office, something which many villages have lost in recent times. The village boasts many voluntary organizations and clubs, too numerous to mention here, but one of the clubs of which we are most proud is the band which traces its history back to 1836. The band has won many competitions, including The West of England Champions no less than 11 times, and have been Royal Trophy winners on 29 occasions. Despite some ups and downs the band is better than ever and much loved by the parish, attending all important events and enchanting us all with their beautiful music.

The purpose of a Parish Plan is to show the views and aspirations of the residents of the parish. With changes in the way the County is now run the views of local people will help the Unitary Authority to understand our future needs. It should be noted that clarification and full results of the questionnaire on which this Plan is based, can be viewed on request at ClayTAWC. The St Dennis Parish Council consists of eleven councillors and has it’s office in ClayTAWC. Of interest within this survey 94% of respondents confirmed that they are happy with Parish Council while 6% were not.

5 ST. DENNIS, LIKE OR DISLIKE?

On the 265 completed questionnaires, 36% who gave comments said they liked living in the village because of a good community spirit and the friendliness of the people. This is shown by the huge amount of support given to the pantomime and the annual carnival week. Top reasons for not liking the village were the threat of an incinerator and the large amount of traffic going through the village

Reasons to like living in St. Dennis (Percentage)

Community spirit Friendliness 3 Good facilities 2 6 20 7 Quiet village 2 Central location Close to A30 9 Near countryside 16 12 Near work 13 Near family Access to walks

Reasons to dislike living in St. Dennis (Percentage)

Incinerator Traffic Nothing to dislike 3 6 3 24 Clay works 7 Lack of youth facilities 5 Untidiness 2 Car parking 10 Lack of facilities 5 22 Lack of transport Anti-social behavior

6 YOUNG PEOPLE

The ages of the young people who responded, showed that they attended school not only in St.Dennis but within all the local clay area schools together with secondary schools in St.Austell, Newquay and the two local colleges. The responses highlighted the large amount of activities undertaken by young people outside the parish, and the need to provide more diverse recreational pursuits for the older children. Ideas for facilities in the village included BMX track, somewhere to “hang out”, keep fit, skateboarding park, martial arts and keep fit, swimming, a youth club and coffee bar. The Parish Council is replacing and currently updating play equipment and surfaces in the Playing Fields. A provision is made in the Parish Council budget annually to repair, maintain and upgrade the whole area.

What we would like to do in St Dennis (203 responses)

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4

% of respondents % of 2 0

k g ck in bar lub ark m par club tra c p /pool ee a r m ff rd X th o u Swi C nem BM Yo eboa i C Snooke kat S Roller blade Computer facilities

Issues Possible Solutions Possible Partners • Lack of y Additional play • Parish council facilities equipment in the Playing fields association for young Playing Fields • Local organizations people y Use of the lower • Cornwall council field in the Playing • Young people with special Fields interests and their parents. y Provision of skateboarding park, BMX track y Provision of a “meeting place”.

7 THE ENVIRONMENT The response to questions on the environment was extremely good and generally supportive of efforts to improve the parish’s open spaces. 95% of respondents supported the planting of trees for screening, windbreaks and conservation purposes. The Parish Council had been particularly pro-active during the Millennium year with tree planting, landscaping of open areas and erection of Millennium memorials. Although the Council has some statutory powers to carry out improvement work, most environmental upgrading can only be done in partnership with other organizations, i.e. Cornwall Council, Natural England. The largest response to questions about the environment related to the construction of a Waste to Energy (incinerator) plant on the outskirts of the village. Overwhelmingly 423 respondents were opposed to this proposal. Currently planning permission has been refused and an appeal is awaited. 71% of the 187 respondents said they would like an allotment.

Issues Possible solutions Possible partners Traffic and Work with partners to find solutions Cornwall Council and parking Highways Authority Litter, dog Provide additional dog bins, examine all areas and Cornwall Council fouling, find ways of removing derelict properties, make annual Parish Council general provision in Parish Council budget to continue to clean centre Serco appearance of village Provision Provide space for allotments and form allotment association to Parish Council of manage it. Local residents allotments Footpaths Parish Council will continue to maintain all local paths on behalf Cornwall Council and open of Cornwall Council with all the most used paths being cut at Parish Council spaces least once a year. In interests of road safety several grass verges will also be maintained and the green spaces on Trelavour Prazey, and Freda’s Triangle will be monitored and maintained Incinerator Continue to oppose the building of an incinerator and represent STIG the parish at the forthcoming Appeal. Cornwall Sustainable Waste Network Parish Council, Cornwall Council,

8 RECYCLING • The survey showed that 241 people (94% of the respondents) used the kerbside recycling scheme, and recycled all types of material that can be re- processed at present. • 128 (53% of respondents) used other recycling facilities, mainly for garden waste. • Currently 134 (54% or respondents) compost household vegetable matter. • 196 people (84% of respondents) would use recycling facilities if they were available in the village.

Issues Possible Solutions Possible Partners y Roadside recycling y Ensure that the weekly roadside • Cornwall council collections continue y Recycling - storage and y Find methods to alleviate the • Parish council collection problems storage problems y Composting y Provide community composting • SERCO facility and “free” composters Alternative forms of waste y Investigate alternatives to to energy technology “incinerators”.

9 INCINERATION. • The survey showed that 423 people (91% of respondents) are opposed to the building of an incinerator in St Dennis, to deal with all of the county’s residual domestic waste and commercial waste. Also, 95% of respondents supported the call for a public inquiry into the incinerator planning application. • Other methods supported to reduce and dispose of waste were Reduced packaging of waste at source. More effort to reduce waste in the first instance. More composting/anaerobic digestion. Alternative methods of waste to energy technology should be explored. Provision of 2 or 3 incinerators situated throughout Cornwall should be explored.

Issues Possible solutions Possible partners • Reduce packaging at • Lobby • Cornwall Council/Green source groups • Increased composting • Introduce green bins • Alternative waste • Cornwall Council technologies • Representation at Parish council, STIG, Power of • Public inquiry inquiry Cornwall, Transition Cornwall, incinerator Cornwall sustainable waste network.

10 ENERGY USE.

The main source of heat for households are:- • Electricity 149 (42%) • Oil 110 (31%) • Open fire 33 (10%) • Gas 31 (9%) • Coal/wood burner 28 (8%)

229 (88% of respondents) use low energy light bulbs and 166 (66% of respondents) have their roof insulated to the recommended level.

11 TRANSPORT.

In our survey, 350 respondents (77%) had daytime access to a vehicle. and 150 (32% ) use the local bus service. Opinion regarding the quality of the bus service, of those who use the service,was roughly divided with a third saying it was good, a third average and a third poor. 182 respondents (44%) said they would be interested in using a community bus. Very few people use the train service, but 34 business flights and 126 leisure flights were taken from Newquay airport. However, 183 respondents (77%) said they did not agree with the tax payer subsidizing the cost of running the airport

Vehicle use

Activity No. of Respondents % Leisure 294 32.7 Social 248 27.6 Business/Travel to Work 221 24.6 Other 89 10.0 Taking Children to School 46 5.1 Total 898 100.0

Of the one third of respondents who rated the bus services as poor, the following reasons were given:-

Issues Possible solutions Possible partners • Provision of a • Investigation of the • Cornwall Council community bus provision of a • Improving bus community bus • Bus companies services • Approach local bus • Tax payments to run companies to improve Newquay airport bus services • Lack of use of train service 12 TRAFFIC RELATED ISSUES AROUND ST. DENNIS Traffic problems in and around the village of St Dennis are seen as a huge problem. 75% of respondents saying there is too much traffic going through the village, and a similar amount worried about speeding traffic. Many highlighted the amount of continental lorries which somehow negotiate our narrow streets. Top of the list for problems such as parking, speeding and the volume of traffic are Hendra Road, Trelavour Road and Fore Street, but all areas are of concern, even Carne Hill, Enniscaven, Trerice and Domellick have difficulties.

Below are the suggestions given for traffic calming, the most popular being a 20 mph limit around the school and Trelavour, and the least popular was chicanes.

Number of respondents

180 160 140 120 Yes 100 No 80 60 40 20 0 l t g s o s s h n t ts ig nes i ho ign mp l eras i s imi c en s s m w l ros t hicanes eck lo d bu h c t a C e el n i t play y a pe e tria speed l lim S peed ca er or es h ren S M New pavemd Speed c ed mp l P Low 20 Chi

13 Although 190 respondents have ‘off road parking’, when asked if there is a problem with parked cars in the village, a massive 400 said ‘Yes’. The main problem areas are Hendra Road, Fore street and Trelavour Road. The safety of pedestrians is of great concern in the areas where there are no pavements, such as Fore Street, outside ClayTAWC and Trelavour square. The condition of the roads in St Dennis are seen as a problem for 66 of the respondents.

Issues Possible solutions Possible partners

• HGV’s going • Use pictorial signs which stop • Cornwall Council through village HGV’s from using unauthorized County Highways • Speeding traffic routes. • Cars parked on • More traffic calming measures • Community road including 20mph by school transport • Danger to • More pavements in Fore Street association pedestrians and Trelavour area. • Devon and • Lack of transport • Investigate provision of Cornwall for some residents community bus. Constabulary

14 EDUCATION IN ST. DENNIS 81 residents who either have children or are planning a family said they would use the local primary school. 49 would use the nursery service although the provision by Happy Days was cited as being too expensive. Following new guidelines from the Government the school now provides nursery care for children aged 3 years and above. Similarly 46 parents would use playschool facilities and 55 were interested in breakfast and/or afterschool clubs, with 15 expressing an interest in Sunday School provision. 42 parents had daughters who were either enrolled or interested in enrolling in the Brownies.

Use of education facilities

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Number ofrespondents Number l ry 's s b b o e 5 lu lu hool r roup nie c ho c e w t c l c o s o s Nurs nd ayg r fa o U l B k h ay P a d re r sc n e u Primary S B S Aft

Further education

42 respondents said they would like to go to an evening class. Most popular suggestions for classes were computer, art, photography, learn a language, NVQ course, music or choral society.

Some of the comments regarding ClayTAWC are : • This appears to be a very forward looking centre, ClayTAWC is excellent. • Good work done at ClayTAWC • Most fortunate to have ClayTAWC and the training it offers locally.

15 SHOPS AND BUSINESSES

45% of respondents did their main weekly shopping in supermarkets, 25% in St Dennis shops, 7% on the Internet and 23% in nearby towns and villages. Factors determining where people shop were mainly the price 29%, also combining shopping with other purposes 23%, availability of goods 20%, accessibility 16%, and time available 12%. The most popular choice for an additional shop in the village was a bakery (15%). 92% of respondents would prefer to buy local produce if prices were lower. The main threats to existing businesses in St Dennis were seen as supermarkets and prices 44% and parking facilities 7%. 28% of respondents run a business in the Parish.

MAIN SHOPPING

USE OF ST DENNIS SHOPS. Although most respondents do their main weekly shopping in supermarkets 91% of respondents do use the village shops either daily,weekly or monthly.

Issues Possible Solutions Possible Partners • Retain the Post • Support from the community, Lobby • Cornwall Council, Community Office Government • Promote small • Look into means for encouraging • Enterprise Cornwall businesses small businesses. including bakery

16 EMPLOYMENT.

Of the 474 people who responded to the survey, 34% are in full time employment, and the majority of 37% are retired, the rest are almost equally divided between part time employment, self employment and students, with 7% unemployed. The unemployment figure is well above the average of 3.8% for Cornwall and the South West. 50% of those who are unemployed would like to find work within the parish. Of the number of people employed or self employed, 82% work outside of the Parish,30% are in community based work,36% in services and 20% in the China Clay Industry.The remaining 14% are home based or mobile. The vast majority of employed people use their own vehicles to travel to work. 69% of respondents would consider retraining if necessary but only 24% have used the training programmes in the ClayTAWC Centre.

Issues Possible Solutions Possible Partners High Unemployment Regrettably there is little the Parish can Parish Council. do to alleviate unemployment, however Cornwall Council. the possible expansion of the industrial units at Whitegate could be explored. Training Possible development of suitable ClayTAWC Ltd. training for unemployed people. Job Centre

17 HOUSING Current accommodation

Of the 247 people who responded to our survey, 72% were owner occupiers and 26% were tenants in either the private sector or with a housing association. The type of housing consisted of 65% houses, 23% bungalows and 6% flats or maisionettes.

1.Current Accommodation.

Tenure (247 respondents). Type (229 respondents).

Owner Occupier 176 72% House 148 65% Tenant- Housing 38 15% Bungalow 54 23% Association Tenant-Private 28 11% Flat/Maisonette 13 6% Sector Tied Accomodation 3 1% Mobile Home 7 3% Shared Ownership 2 1% Other 7 3%

Current Housing by Tenure

1% 11%15%1%

Owner Occupier Tenant‐Housing Assoc. 72% Tenant‐ Privat Sector Tied Accommodation Shared Ownership

18 Current Housing by Type 3% 6% 3%

House 23% Bungalow 65% Flat/Maisonette Mobile Home Other

2.Number of Respondents Seeking Alternative Accommodation (233 respondents).

• Of the total number of responses 202 (87%) are not seeking alternative accommodation and 31 (13%) are seeking alternative accommodation.

• Of the 31 respondents seeking alternative accommodation 18 (58%) wish to move within the St Dennis area.

The types of accommodation required are:-

House 64% 1Bedroom 9% Bungalow 19% 2/3 Bedrooms 77% Flat 17% 4 Bedrooms 14%

FUTURE HOUSING PROVISION.

The number of respondents for and against the provision of more open market housing was fairly evenly split, with 170 approving, 164 disapproving and 92 who were not concerned. The main reason for disapproval was that the houses were too expensive for local people. Also, 146 (64%) respondents out of a total of 228 thought that the present infrastructure in the parish could not cope with more new development.

20 AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

• A large majority of the 419 respondents supported the provision of more affordable housing for local people.

Approve 351 84% Disapprove 33 8% Not concerned 35 8%

• In addition to those seeking alternative accommodation, 33 people who had moved from the Parish because of the lack of affordable housing, were identified as being interested in returning if more such housing was available.

• Although 146 (64%) respondents out of a total of 228 thought that the present infrastructure in the parish could not cope with more new development.

Issues Possible Solutions Possible Partners 64 potential local applicants for Identify sites within the Cornwall Council. affordable housing Parish Housing Associations. suitable for development. 381 respondents (84%) wish to Identify demand more Land owners have more affordable housing for accurately. Developers local people 146 respondents (64%) felt that Identify critical problem the present infrastructure could points. not cope with more development

21 HEALTH Our survey showed that two thirds of the respondents were happy with the G.P service provided by the Clays practice. Of the third that were not happy, most problems relate to appointment times. 33% were registered with the St Stephen practice. Also highlighted was the lack of dental facilities nearby and to a lesser extent, a lack of chiropodists and veterinary practice. Almost 100% were happy with the pharmacy in St Dennis. Issues Possible solutions/actions Possible partners

• 68% of those who • Investigate the possibility of • Cornwall Rural gave comments in providing a community bus with Community Council the survey, said they regular trips to Roche surgery would prefer more

services at the St • The Clays practice

Dennis Surgery. • Contact the practice manager at Roche surgery to investigate • This included longer appointment times outside of regular opening hours with working times and providing more consideration for services at the St Dennis surgery. those in full time employment, and

• reintroducing some • The Clays services which are practice/Cornwall and currently only • Look into the possibility of providing Isles of Scilly Dental available at Roche a national health dentist in either St services Dennis or Roche. • No local dentist • See if a chiropody clinic could be set • No Chiropodist up.

• No veterinary service Contact mobile veterinary service to see if they could come to St Dennis

22 WELL BEING

From our survey, it is very apparent that there is a good community spirit and 179 people did not feel isolated or vulnerable. However 29 people did feel isolated, and threatened by antisocial behavior. Many did not know how to access social services, and over half of those that answered were not satisfied with the care for the disabled. There were many suggestions for improving services for the elderly. The chart below shows the level of satisfaction with the health and social services in St. Dennis

400 350 300 250 Yes 200 No 150 Average 100 50

Number of respondents of Number 0

s y n or rl o ed sit e i ld ge bl v e Doctor Dentist h f ur harmacy S o P y re r of disa Healt a a C in Social services er Care et V Issues Possible solutions/actions Possible partners • Lack of luncheon club / • Encourage the start of a • Help The Aged meeting place for the elderly. luncheon club • Cornwall Rural • Lack of public transport • Investigate the possibility of a Community community bus Council

• Lack of shops • Encourage new shops, such as • Parish Council bakery and greengrocer. • Parish Plan • No information regarding • Publish a leaflet with Committee social services information on how to contact social services

• Care for the disabled • Devon and • Antisocial behavior • Liaise with special police Cornwall Police constable

23 CRIME PREVENTION

137 respondents feel that the lack of adequate police presence and/or lack of police action is the main reason for the perceived high levels of vandalism and anti-social behavior, theft, under-age drinking and drug related crime. 24 respondents felt the police should be more visible throughout the hours of 9pm to 2am which is when most problems occur. 157 respondents felt the police handling of crime was average and 88 felt it was poor. Dog fouling received a resounding “very poor” by 188 respondents. Dog fouling is not the responsibility of the police, however, it is a crime and is punishable under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996. The County’s dog wardens are empowered to impose fixed penalty notices/fines on anyone they catch and can prosecute an offender in the Magistrate’s Court. The chart below shows the level of satisfaction with crime prevention in St. Dennis

50 Very well 40 Well 30 Average Poorly 20 Very poorly 10

Percentage ofrespondents Percentage 0 Anti- Theft Drug Under age Dog social related drinking fouling behavior

Issues Possible solutions/actions Possible partners • Anti-social behavior • Reinstate or expand • Parish Council Neighborhood Watch/CCTV • Theft/drug related crimes • Parish Council to liaise with • Devon and Cornwall police for greater police Police presence • Lack of police presence • Provide and support effective • School and youth diversionary activities for groups young people • Under age drinking • Consider implementing restorative justice • More alcohol free zones • Dog fouling • Parish Council employ dog warden

25 THANK YOU

The Parish Plan has been produced by St. Dennis Parish Plan Committee as a guide to the needs and aspirations of the residents of the community. It is hoped that the findings will act as a guide when future discussions take place on our surroundings and well-being. In addition the very many useful, helpful and vital findings which emerged can serve as evidence to be used in making decisions, when new projects are proposed. Without the encouragement of a great many bodies and individual people, this Parish Plan would not have been possible. In particular we would like to thank:

• St Dennis Parish Council for funding and guidance. • Restormel Borough Council for funding • Cornwall Rural Community Council and Emma Grigg for funding and guidance • The dedicated committee who put so many hours and hard work into the project • The Post Office and Robert Bunt for collecting questionnaires. • Restormel Council for printing the questionnaires. • Mr Ken Rickard for his descriptions of St. Dennis, from his book ‘St. Dennis and Goss Moor’ • Mrs Jenny Ellacott for facts found on the St. Dennis web page and for photographs. • ClayTAWC and Mrs G Edwards, for hosting meetings.

And finally- a special thank you to the 265 households (558 individuals) who responded to our questionnaire. Without you, the Parish Plan Committee would never know what pleases you and what concerns you about your community.

27 Produced by St Dennis Parish Plan Committee