The future of a historic West Country beach campsite has been secured for at least five more years, after safety fears prompted a fight to save it. Cornwall Council had been advised to refuse an application to keep allowing the beach hut-style tents at Sandway Beach, after the Environment Agency deemed them a "a risk to life" due to flooding.
However, the authority's planning department heard impassioned pleas from locals who live near the beach in Kingsand, and decided the community benefits outweighed the flood risk. Eight councillors voted in favour with two against, Cornwall Live reports.
Fishermen originally started putting up the tents more than 90 years ago, and their families have kept the tradition going all these years later. Councillors heard how they are inhabited by local families and not tourists, "making them even more special".
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The private campsite is managed by a group of locals, who were seeking permission to keep pitching the tents between April 1 and September 30 each year for five years, along with the installation of an emergency evacuation ladder. But the Environment Agency warned that rising tides and floods could put people at risk.
Despite this there was strong support from other parties, including Maker with Rame Parish Council. Councillor Dawn Williams spoke at a meeting of Cornwall Council's east sub-area planning committee yesterday (Monday, February 19) on behalf of the parish.
She expressed: "The local community is in broad support for the tents for the next five years. While we appreciate the concerns and good work of the Environment Agency, disallowing the tents at this stage would be an act of an over-abundance of caution. The tents are part of our community and our local culture and heritage.
"They are leased by local people and have stayed in the families of local people for generations. They remain the very best low impact eco-tourism. The tents help to manage anti-social behaviour in the area and last year, when they weren't there, we had some very bad incidents from teenagers, etc. The tent owners also help to maintain the hedges and footpaths, so they have a positive impact in our area."
She added: "We do recognise the realities of global warming and the increasing heights of tides. However, the tents are on a raised platform and are only occupied during the summer months when poor weather is actually very rare." Cllr Williams stressed that the users kept up to date with weather reports, had risk mitigation in place and didn't use the tents during times of storms.
She added: "In terms of safety, there's no risk to life - there's never been a risk to life in that area. There's an easy exit at both ends of the site. When the tents arrive that means summer has come and they're a very welcome addition to our community."
Tim Fishleigh, speaking for the Sandways campsite team, said people who use the campsite take care of old buildings, clean the beach, and stop bad behaviour and wild camping. He also said there have been no floods reported by the Environment Agency.
Cllr Kate Ewert, a local member, said it's an important place for people in Kingsand, Cawsand and even further away. She said: "The fact that they are inhabited by local families and not tourists makes them even more special. It's one of the last things on the Rame for locals in the summer.
"There has never been a tragedy, no one has been flooded while in the tents and no one cut off without escape," she said. This is because the tent users know a lot about the sea and the dangers posed.
"They would not be using the tents if the forecast was bad. They would not be putting their families at risk. The community benefit is not to be understated. It's a really, really important part of our community," Cllr Ewert added.
Deputy chairman of the planning committee, Cllr John Tivnan, expressed concern over what he called an "over-cautious approach" by the Environment Agency (EA). He was disappointed that they were not present to explain their strong stance on the matter.
Cllr Andrew Long also voiced his concerns about the EA's response. He felt it unfairly categorised everyone visiting coastal areas as unaware tourists who unknowingly put themselves in danger. He said he could understand if this was a public campsite, but felt they hadn't considered risk mitigation.
Councillor John Fitter urged caution, warning fellow councillors not to get "driven into a corner" by the mention of a climate emergency. He said: "I'm passionate in saying these people who run this site should be allowed to manage this risk in a professional and sensible way. They know the area."
Cllr Jennifer Cruse agreed that it was clear that those using the tents were well aware of the weather conditions. She pointed out the availability of tide tables and weather predictions, and the lack of accidents.
However, Cllr Dominic Fairman highlighted that while there hadn't been any incidents in the past 90 years, the next five years would not be the same due to climate change. He expressed his concern about Cornwall Council owning the site, along with Plymouth City Council, as it could imply approval for a potentially dangerous activity.
Councillor Barry Jordan also voiced his dissatisfaction with the application, stating: "I don't think even the slightest risk that someone can get killed is worth it." Councillors Fairman and Jordan both voted to refuse permission, but were out-numbered.
