21.01.11:  It was standing room only in the Veryan Sports and Social club on Thursday evening when well over a hundred “Friends of Pendower Beach” (FPB) crammed into an inaugural general meeting.

Local resident, Helen Hastings was elected Chair of the new community charitable group. She reported that in the past six weeks 350 people had signed up as Friends – the majority living within 5 miles of Pendower in Veryan, Portloe, Portscatho and Tregony.

The meeting lasted two hours. An overwhelming majority of those attending wanted the Friends to press local politicians and planners and the current owner to confine any redevelopment of the property, known locally as the Pink Hotel, within the footprint of the existing buildings. It was agreed that a full environmental impact assessment of a development in the locality should be requested as a priority.

Many people at the meeting spoke eloquently of their concern that the unique character of Pendower Beach must be protected. It was agreed that Pendower Beach is a precious asset enjoyed by local residents and visitors alike and its status as an area of outstanding natural beauty and as a site of special scientific interest would be lost forever were it to be overdeveloped.

Looking ahead, Mrs Hastings told the meeting that FPB would represent these views in the planning process if the developer were to make a planning application for the Pink Hotel site. The preservation of the beach would require funds and the recruitment of more Friends. She appealed for volunteers to act as “email buddies” distributing news and information to those Friends who did not have email. She reported that the Friends have already found local people to advise on planning issues and to help with membership and administration but there was still a vacancy for a Treasurer – a particularly important appointment, as several contributions from Friends had already been received.

The Friends of Pendower Beach can be contacted at pendowerfriends@gmail.com or via the Friends of FPB pages on RoselandOnline or via their Facebook page.