Another interesting story in today’s Guardian, about Carlyon Bay in Cornwall.

I remember reading about this last year in September, because I was on the way back home from a summer school about town planning, and having spent all weekend going to lectures and workshops about planning, and talking to other councillors about planning in the bar afterwards, there was a big story about planning in the paper. Its the familiar story of a developer wanting to build loads of hotels, apartments etc. on a currently unspoiled bay.

The update is that local campaigners are trying a new tactic of getting the beach designated as a village green. Apparently, if piece of land is designated as such under the Commons Act of 1965 it can prevent development there.

I wonder if there is any possibility of getting the land at Pease Pottage designated like that? Maybe I should try and find a contact for the Pease Pottage Residents’ Association. They might have the motivation (and means) to look into it properly.Its part of an AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) which you would have thought was protection enough, but in the last few years there have been moves to get it used for a hospital, a travellers’ camp or a mental health unit.

I happen to live very close to this piece of land, but I hope I am not a ‘nimby’. In fact there is another piece of land just as close to me which I would be happy to see a hospital, travellers’ site or mental health unit built on – if it was proved to be the best location. That piece of land has now been identified as a possible location for a university campus as it happens. It just seems a shame that we can’t keep our hands off the only AONB in the town.