The Cornwall We Want

In March 2020 people across the whole country experienced a massive change to their way of life. Our resident’s survey in June 2020 showed us that this had triggered an appetite for change. Although there were some very negative side effects of the pandemic, the more positive changes made people realise that life could be different and only 1 in ten people wanted every thing to go back to the way it was before the pandemic.

So we launched “The Cornwall We Want” campaign on 26 June 2020, to hear more from residents about the changes they want for future generations.

We heard from a wide range of people, all across Cornwall. Over 25,000 people visited this online platform to take part in the conversation about the Cornwall we want. Over 900 people have taken part in discussions, round tables and focus groups. Our 3 livestreamed discussions have been watched back over 16,000 times.

You can read more about the ways people could have their say and what we heard from them in this report.

The feedback we heard from residents has been used to shape the vision set out in ‘Gyllyn Warbarth, Together we can: The Cornwall Plan’.

So we launched “The Cornwall We Want” campaign on 26 June 2020, to hear more from residents about the changes they want for future generations.

You can read more about the ways people could have their say and what we heard from them in this report.

The feedback we heard from residents has been used to shape the vision set out in ‘Gyllyn Warbarth, Together we can: The Cornwall Plan’.

What are your hopes and fears for the future?

What has your experience of the lockdown been? Has the lockdown made you think again about what matters in your life? What changes do you want to make? What do you want the ‘new normal’ to look like for you, your business or your community? What do you see as the challenges and opportunities to achieving those aims?

You can upload photos, videos and insert links to add to your story.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

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We need a Phoenix to arise from the Covid Disaster to give young folk a future in Cornwall

by cleggycornwall, over 6 years ago

Cornwall need strong leadership in economics and foresight to deliver a county where young people will be able to train, get good jobs and want to stay. It is time to renew Cornwall and stop the brain drain but the only way we will be able to do that is if we have investment in meaningful jobs and training. This should be the priority otherwise we will have a continual problem of a too heavy elderly community dependent on social care employing poorly paid people. We need a balanced age to survive as a successful county, so we need young... Continue reading
Cornwall need strong leadership in economics and foresight to deliver a county where young people will be able to train, get good jobs and want to stay. It is time to renew Cornwall and stop the brain drain but the only way we will be able to do that is if we have investment in meaningful jobs and training. This should be the priority otherwise we will have a continual problem of a too heavy elderly community dependent on social care employing poorly paid people. We need a balanced age to survive as a successful county, so we need young people living and working here contributing to the local economy. We need a better paid workforce in social care- perhaps private social care is not the answer now ?
There is much said about green policy but why are houses still being built without solar panels? Why are cycle lanes being constructed at huge expense and yet cyclists still cycle on the roads along side them? (Ref. Hayle Causeway Road) These are planning issues - where is the vision in the planning dept. that allows things like this to continue. Why isn’t the County investing in electric charging points in all of its car parks? Could this not be done on a partnership with a commercial provider and make money for the county at the same time as encouraging greener transport?
Cornwall, it is now clear, from both Brexit and Covid 19, cannot survive on the three occupations of tourism, fishing and agriculture, as all these industries have large seasonal element, low wages, weather related problems, and in the case of two sectors, dependency on out of county/ country labour. The time has come for meaningful investment in real training and new industries.
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The Time is Now. No Going Back. Green Recovery Necessary.

by Chrys, over 6 years ago

Thank you for listening to the well informed and affected by your choices populace.
I lost the first rambling comment on here, so I will save my time and yours and add a part of a talk I do with references and hope that those in the eco/environmental departments as even XR are not focusing on this matter.
I'm aware this is difficult reading but we have to have the courage to make the changes needed to avoid the 4 degrees C temperature increase that the Commitee on Climate Change suggest we parepare for and suggested to National Governance.
14.5%... Continue reading
Thank you for listening to the well informed and affected by your choices populace.
I lost the first rambling comment on here, so I will save my time and yours and add a part of a talk I do with references and hope that those in the eco/environmental departments as even XR are not focusing on this matter.
I'm aware this is difficult reading but we have to have the courage to make the changes needed to avoid the 4 degrees C temperature increase that the Commitee on Climate Change suggest we parepare for and suggested to National Governance.
14.5% of anthropogenic GHGs are due to animal farming and fishing, but other estimates range up to 51%.
These statistics change depending how you analyze the situation and what you include. For example the 51% figure is so much higher because:-it uses a more accurate number of animals currently in our food system
-accounts for other processes such as refrigeration, transport, prolonged cooking of animal products, and the carbon intensive medical treatments, including antibiotic use, for the trillions of animals currently in our food system, and
-incorporates greenhouse gases emitted through deforestation for farming.
But let’s take the most conservative figure of 14.5%. That still means that animal farming and fishing account for more of the greenhouse gases than the whole of the transport sector, which contributes an estimated 13%.
Also if we look at what specific gases are being released you can see that two of the more potent ones: methane (56 times more powerful than CO2) and nitrous oxide (280 times more powerful than CO2) are released considerably more from animal farming and fishing industries.
References:
(Goodland &Anhang, 2009) - http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf
(FAO: Livestock’s Long Shadow, 2006) - http://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e.pdf
Global Warming Potentials (GWP) - https://unfccc.int/process/transparency-and-reporting/greenhouse-gas-data/greenhouse-gas-data-unfccc/global-warming-potentials
Transport Nitrous Oxide Emissions - Wallington &Wiesen, 2014 - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231014003653
Transport Methane Emissions - https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions
Animal Ag Methane and Nitrous Oxide - http://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e.pdf
Many thanks.
I'd greatly appreciate a response and argument.
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Local Life

by A_Sm, over 6 years ago

I would like to be able to shop and work locally and not go in the car as much, and return to the plastic free aspirations that we were working towards.
My greatest fear is increasing inequality, funding cuts to the arts, and increasingly unaffordable housing (as a result of reduced borrowing the increased flexibility in working arrangements meaning more people relocating).
I would like to be able to shop and work locally and not go in the car as much, and return to the plastic free aspirations that we were working towards.
My greatest fear is increasing inequality, funding cuts to the arts, and increasingly unaffordable housing (as a result of reduced borrowing the increased flexibility in working arrangements meaning more people relocating).

1 comment
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Creative Cornwall

by Mylorian, over 6 years ago

It seemed to me that as soon as the lock down happened people started to reach for the arts: music, reading, drawing, dancing, writing: all the things we do to entertain ourselves, keep our spirits up and sooth ourselves. Like other people I enjoyed the peace and quiet of lockdown but I found I needed to keep busy. I read, wrote and sewed, which helped me feel calmer. We need to encourage people to keep doing these creative things, for our physical and mental health. It was good to have a daily exercise hour in lockdown, it encouraged me to... Continue reading
It seemed to me that as soon as the lock down happened people started to reach for the arts: music, reading, drawing, dancing, writing: all the things we do to entertain ourselves, keep our spirits up and sooth ourselves. Like other people I enjoyed the peace and quiet of lockdown but I found I needed to keep busy. I read, wrote and sewed, which helped me feel calmer. We need to encourage people to keep doing these creative things, for our physical and mental health. It was good to have a daily exercise hour in lockdown, it encouraged me to go out and walk. Similar encouragement to do creative things each day could be part of our future coping and resilience. At the same time, a lot of people who work in the creative industries, and who are freelance or self employed, are struggling to make ends meet. Yet they are the most creative people we have, and Cornwall is full of them. How can we use Cornwall's creative people now to help us solve the problems we face, heal, and find enjoyment?
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Too much building of the wrong type.

by FLT, over 6 years ago

My biggest fear for Cornwall is the amount of building occurring. The planning Department should be taking a hard look at the type of buildings being passed and ask themselves whether they are for the good of Cornwall and its people. Faceless estates with no infrastructure, not enough facilities, overcrowding. Building on greenfield sites, and sites of historical interest. Remember the old song, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot".
My biggest fear for Cornwall is the amount of building occurring. The planning Department should be taking a hard look at the type of buildings being passed and ask themselves whether they are for the good of Cornwall and its people. Faceless estates with no infrastructure, not enough facilities, overcrowding. Building on greenfield sites, and sites of historical interest. Remember the old song, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot".
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Invest in our young people

by SandraandBella, over 6 years ago

Like most people commenting here I have enjoyed the recent peace and tranquility. I have watched in delight as nature started to heal herself in the few months she has been allowed, I have loved being able to walk and cycle in relative safety and, of course, I want this to continue. Cornwall needs to come out of this heading towards a greener and more affluent future. The question is ‘how do we achieve it?’. I believe this is a multifaceted and a very long term project.
We need to start with our young people. Schools and guardians must teach... Continue reading
Like most people commenting here I have enjoyed the recent peace and tranquility. I have watched in delight as nature started to heal herself in the few months she has been allowed, I have loved being able to walk and cycle in relative safety and, of course, I want this to continue. Cornwall needs to come out of this heading towards a greener and more affluent future. The question is ‘how do we achieve it?’. I believe this is a multifaceted and a very long term project.
We need to start with our young people. Schools and guardians must teach and encourage their charges to be involved with nature and the environment so that they will want to save it. But the young people must also be trained and guided towards careers and futures in sustainable industries. In some cases they will need skills for jobs that haven’t yet been invented. Yes I know that sounds daft but nobody thought about computer programming when I was at school and who had heard of Zoom a year ago!
So, businesses involving green technology need to be supported in the county. That is not to dismiss traditional skills and crafts. Farming and fishing are vital to the county’s food security but, perhaps they too can be looked at in a different way. What about aqua culture and growing some vegetables and fruits inside under ultra-violet lights? I believe Cornwall has one of the highest, if not the highest, percentage of micro businesses in the country and these entrepreneurs need to be supported. It takes a massif amount of courage and money to move your business from your garage or kitchen table to a workshop and to employ somebody. Perhaps they could have rent reductions or tax rebates?
We have been conditioned by the private limited company Visit Cornwall and its CEO Mr Bell into believing that tourism is the only way forward in Cornwall but tourism accounts for only about 12% of Cornwall’s economy and I understand that about 40% of that is local spend, that is to say what you and I spend going out for coffee or a meal and visiting attractions. Admittedly tourism is a big employer but the work is often seasonal and usually poorly paid. So, let us stop thinking of ourselves as a theme park for England. No more planning permission for campsites or holiday apartments. Second homes to pay twice the community charge. Big, out of county companies stopped from buying up our villages and turning all the houses into holiday lets and destroying our communities. No more tax relief going to second home owners who use legal loop holes to make even more money. I believe it is better from a tax point of view to rent a property out for holidays rather than as a long term rental – surely this cannot be right. We are all tourists at some time but tourists should not dominate local lives. Those responsible for planning need to put our well being first and not focus on what would bring in more tourists.
We need good, affordable housing for local people, really affordable. However, in building affordable housing we lay the market open to more out of county people to move here, so to prevent that, nobody should be able to buy houses in Cornwall unless they have lived here full time for 5 years. I do not know how many houses are needed in Cornwall but that figure should be the target and no more. Westminster may not like it but Cornwall isn’t Westminster.
So, what can we do in the short term? Keep cycling, if possible, which means we need cycle ways into and between towns and somewhere secure to park our bicycles. Shop locally. Many of our small local shops and businesses have been life savers during this pandemic and we must not abandon them when it is over. If it has worked for you, carry on working from home. Buy local food in season, the supermarkets won’t like it but our growers and producers will benefit. Town centres can be enlivened with a coat of paint, colourful murals on dull end walls. Make towns, as far as possible, car free. Allow cafes to spill out on to the pavements. Encourage small and micro business to use the empty shops as workshops and offer rented accommodation above those shops in the high streets.

[SW1]
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Population growth and greed

by cornwallresident, over 6 years ago

Virtually every person I know who cares about the Duchy are aghast at the level of housing development that is being foisted upon us. And not for the benefit of local people. It seems a mission from those in charge to attract more and more people to Cornwall whether it be to holiday or to live. This cannot continue at the rate it has been over the past 10 years without seriously impacting on the quality of life of those already living here.
Cornwall is in severe danger of 'cooking the golden goose'. When the Duchy is covered in concrete... Continue reading
Virtually every person I know who cares about the Duchy are aghast at the level of housing development that is being foisted upon us. And not for the benefit of local people. It seems a mission from those in charge to attract more and more people to Cornwall whether it be to holiday or to live. This cannot continue at the rate it has been over the past 10 years without seriously impacting on the quality of life of those already living here.
Cornwall is in severe danger of 'cooking the golden goose'. When the Duchy is covered in concrete, nobody will want to come here and nobody will want to live here. Those that remain will have to put up with an environment that has been ruined in the name of greed.
Second home ownership should be severely curtailed, new housing development stopped and those involved in tourism should realise that there is a limit to how many visitors can be accommodated without severely testing the goodwill of residents and our beautiful environment. At the moment, economic growth still trumps all despite the evidence of the damage it causes all around us.
Cornwall Council are not entirely responsible for this state of affairs but it sometimes appears they are happy to maintain the status quo for whatever reason.
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A Green future is the only future.

by Greenways, over 6 years ago

Cycleways please, and footpaths , everywhere.Connecting every community.
Photovoltaics on all industrial and agricultural buildings but NOT on fields. Hedges,copses,woods all linked providing wildlife corridors.
A congestion/emission charge as you enter Cornwall ( cf London). The bigger the gas guzzler the bigger the fee.
Plastic free Cornwall.
Pesticide free Cornwall.
Herbiicide free Cornwall ( note that Bayer are paying $8 billion for cancer caused by glysophate).
GM free Cornwall.
Carbon neutral by 2030
No cruise liners.
No super trawlers.
Insulate every house.get rid of gas/oil boilers.
All new homes to be 'passive'.
All new homes to have solar thermal panels.
... Continue reading
Cycleways please, and footpaths , everywhere.Connecting every community.
Photovoltaics on all industrial and agricultural buildings but NOT on fields. Hedges,copses,woods all linked providing wildlife corridors.
A congestion/emission charge as you enter Cornwall ( cf London). The bigger the gas guzzler the bigger the fee.
Plastic free Cornwall.
Pesticide free Cornwall.
Herbiicide free Cornwall ( note that Bayer are paying $8 billion for cancer caused by glysophate).
GM free Cornwall.
Carbon neutral by 2030
No cruise liners.
No super trawlers.
Insulate every house.get rid of gas/oil boilers.
All new homes to be 'passive'.
All new homes to have solar thermal panels.
Allotments/community gardens for all.
Green spaces connected to all new building developments.
No new roads.
No factory farms - outdoor/extensively grazed/free range only.i.e. cruelty-free Cornwall.
Local food sold locally.
Vouchers for fresh and healthy foods to replace foodbanks.
Cheaper energy for low usage then rachet up the costs for the higher users.
.
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No 'new normal' just use common sense of what people really want

by Anonymous, over 6 years ago

Whilst high streets are in decline, I do not agree with the continuous development of out of town shopping complexes, as this is driving the decline of the highstreet. To help with the housing needs, second homes should be banned, and only those intending to actually move to / live in Cornwall should be allowed to buy a house, to free up many empty properties for those contributing to Cornwall all year round. I am really against the constant building of ugly, council looking new builds on green fields, so this seems the obvious solution. Also, if second home owners... Continue reading
Whilst high streets are in decline, I do not agree with the continuous development of out of town shopping complexes, as this is driving the decline of the highstreet. To help with the housing needs, second homes should be banned, and only those intending to actually move to / live in Cornwall should be allowed to buy a house, to free up many empty properties for those contributing to Cornwall all year round. I am really against the constant building of ugly, council looking new builds on green fields, so this seems the obvious solution. Also, if second home owners are no longer allowed these, then they can stay in hotels etc which will help the local economy all year round. Once social distancing restrictions are eased, pubs should be supported to continue, as not all of us want the ever encroaching cafe culture, as it's not the same as a good old british pub. Abolish second home ownership, stop the need for ugly new builds and let those who live here get back to normal, as Covid will not be an issue forever, so there should not be a 'new normal'
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A lesson to be learned

by Jen, over 6 years ago

There is a definite lesson to be learned from the lockdown. It was plain to see. There was far less pollution and the countryside flourished. But sadly, once again, our lives are about to be put at risk by tourists flooding here, possibly carrying the virus. They do every year and suddenly we don't count any more. Everything must be right for the tourists. And by tourists I mean second homers as well who equally cause damage and destruction. So a plea from my entire family. Cut back on the numbers which flood here and abuse us every year. Tax... Continue reading
There is a definite lesson to be learned from the lockdown. It was plain to see. There was far less pollution and the countryside flourished. But sadly, once again, our lives are about to be put at risk by tourists flooding here, possibly carrying the virus. They do every year and suddenly we don't count any more. Everything must be right for the tourists. And by tourists I mean second homers as well who equally cause damage and destruction. So a plea from my entire family. Cut back on the numbers which flood here and abuse us every year. Tax them by their beds and probably even more, by their camping sites and caravans. They bring their own food, spend very little and leave us to pay to clear up after them and to put right the damage they cause.
Also, seriously, what is happening with the building controls in Cornwall? We've seen the plans for Hayle. What an eyesore! What are County Hall up to allowing this sort of thing?
We pay a lot of taxes and high rates but our councillors never listen to us. We are an inconvenient truth to them perhaps.................