Cornish Social & Economic Research Group
» What CoSERG Thinks » Press releases » Crofty, Community and the RDA ~ a lost opportunity for Pool?
The continuing saga of whether Crofty will reopen or whether the RDA will step in to take over the land at Pool obscures some fundamental issues. It is not a case of old versus new industry, a step backward or a step forward; the reality is one of missed opportunities, misguided visions and misplaced policy options.
The Urban Regeneration Company in conjunction with the RDA are keen to portray their plans as new, innovative and bold, offering the community a better environment, jobs and housing. Yet, not only are such proposals simply property led development rather than community led development, they are not intended to benefit the local community. The facilities are designed to encourage people, (there are 300,000 within ‘easy drive time’) to travel to the area. The new roads are to accommodate the extra traffic created. The jobs and houses are to meet government targets to increase the area’s population, not to meet local needs. To make matters worse, the myth that derelict land will be used for development is constantly spun and respun. But the reality is that existing businesses are displaced, greenfield land is built on and brownfield land converted to greenfield.
CoSERG considers there should be a complete reappraisal of the proposals for Pool, calling for proposals that reflect local community needs, not government targets or the demands of developers, and are actually sustainable rather than misuse the language of sustainability.