Sir John is also a champion of affordable housing with a focus on energy efficiency. These items have the potential to provide job opportunities for the harbour in the event of Trust ownership.

04 June 2010. A high-level delegation of ING executives made a flying visit to Hayle Harbour on Thursday. The team included Guy Parker, CEO at ING Real Estate Development UK, and his boss, Hein Brand, General Manager of Real Estate Development since January 1st this year.

There were no reports of meetings with any groups.

Meneer Brand's background is in finance (click here) so perhaps he is taking a close look at the economics of the Hayle harbour project.

"Multi-million pound plans to redevelop Hove seafront are in tatters after its financial backers pulled out because of the credit crunch. Dutch bank ING had been due to fund the £290m redevelopment of the King Alfred leisure centre, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.

But ING Real Estate said volatile money markets and the housing market downturn meant the project was no longer viable.

Planning permission for the scheme, which would see flats, restaurants and cafes being built, was granted in March 2007."

Full details on the BBC web site.

Things didn't go well in Ireland, either. ING does not have the Midas touch when it comes to planning issues. Click here for Stumble and Fall.

ING Real Estate, the company behind the proposed Northgate development, and Chester City Council, have announced that they have agreed a new collaboration with Land Securities to investigate a revised scheme of development for the Northgate area of the city centre.

The original proposal has been undermined by the significant effect that the current economic climate, over the last 18 months, has had upon the whole of the commercial property sector. Across the Country, schemes in various towns and cities including Portsmouth, Oxford, Sheffield, Stockport, Hatfield and Newport have been delayed and cancelled.  More here.

31 May 2010. The new 'Hayle Harbour Authority' has issued a press release announcing that 'Dredging at Hayle is to be Halted'. Since the dredging license has expired this is a prudent move. The byelaw issued under the Coast Protection Act 1949 provides for penalties of £1,000 per offence.

The complete restriction of kite surfing in the estuary has been replaced with a trial under specified conditions. Additionally, the new harbour master will be holding surgeries during his visits to Hayle from Southampton.

Read the full press release here.

29 May 2010. Hayle Harbour has a new web site under the heading Hayle Harbour Authority, Ltd. The harbour authority formerly operated under the title of Hayle Harbour Management, Ltd. but there is no registration for the new Authority at Companies House to date.

We now have a new harbour master, Mark Capon, who is extremely well qualified but, I understand, only allocating two days a month to Hayle.

The new Designated Person (DP) (an independent assessor of safety under the Port Marine Safety Code [PMSC]) is Mark Robinson who is a director of Marine Enforcement, a respected company specialising in the PMSC.  Mark Capon is also a director of Marine Enforcement and will be well-placed to know whether the new DP would be considered ''independent' as required by the legislation.

10 Apr 2010 Hayle Harbour Trust Limited has been formed as a charitable company limited by guarantee. Company No. 7215658. The trust's objects are:

28 Mar 2010 Old Mike in the Cornishman asks:

"Should Hayle allow a multi-national to walk all over it, seeking short-term returns with the promise of future prosperity? Or should it retain its integrity,
even at the cost of continuing its slow decline? The new page in its history waits to be written."  Read the whole article here.

26 Mar 2010 I have now received the comments of the planning officer and English Heritage on the supermarket plans. You can view them here.

Although the application has been withdrawn, these comments, together with those of CABE and ICOMOS, make it unlikely that a supermarket of any kind could ever be built on South Quay.

25 Mar 2010 Hayle Town Councillors were disappointed last night to hear, in a briefing from Cornwall Council project manager Nick Taylor, that the St. Erth Park and Ride scheme was focused almost solely on solving the parking and road congestion problems of St. Ives. Councillors pounded Nick with questions about the impact on Hayle, plans for footpaths and even how pedestrians would cross the road. Plans for integrated bus and train routes and links to the beach were not in consideration. And there were no guarantees that the hoped-for train frequency of 30 minutes would be honoured by operators even after the money had been spent.

If we hear from anyone that the Park and Ride will alleviate the traffic problems caused by the harbour development - you may with justification laugh scornfully!

09 Mar 2010 ING has realised that their planning application for a supermarket on South Quay was going nowhere. They have issued the following statement:

ICOMOS advises the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and has concluded (extracted from full report):

ICOMOS-UK considers that the bulk of the building, and its presumed height, would be an overwhelming intrusion into the harbour landscape, and in effect would visually cut the harbour basin in two north of the viaduct, and lead to a loss of views from the east part of the town across Carnsew Pool and beyond. The flood protection measures required, based on raising on the ground level by 1.85 metres above the height of the existing granite stone quay walls, will also have a considerable negative impact.

Overall, we consider that the complete anonymity of the scheme which shows no local distinctiveness and does not in any way relate to the morphology of Hayle, or respect its strong local character, would have a negative and detrimental impact on the attributes of Hayle that contribute to the overall OUV (Outstanding Universal Value)of the WHS. Its design bears little relationship to the attractive and small scale row of double fronted villa houses with front gardens at Penpol Terrace that characterise the road alongside the current fishing harbour and are a key part of the planned factory town.

Furthermore we consider that the benefits that would be delivered to Hayle in terms of heritage led regeneration would be minimal, and there is no certainty that this scheme would unlock further schemes linked to the previous application that has not yet been given unconditional approval.

The WH status of Hayle, and the enormous assets of its historic cultural landscape that has been given international recognition, should be the starting point and driving force for the regeneration of the overall harbour, in line with the aspirations of the Management Plan.

We did not consider that the first application rose to this challenge, even though it did have as an aim the overall regeneration of the harbour: we consider that this subsequent application has even less grounding as an attempt to optimise WH status and deliver heritage-led regeneration. Indeed, we consider that it could result in being the reverse of heritage-led regeneration and bring into question the overall validity of Hayle as part of the WHS.

Hayle deserves better than this and we urge the Council to REFUSE this application.

Read the full report here.

The Hayle Residents Association called a meeting to discuss the formation of a group to consider alternative solutions to the repair and development of Hayle Harbour.

At a packed meeting at the Passmore Edwards Institute there was a unanimous vote to create Friends of Hayle Harbour with the following remit:

• Create a charitable trust capable of taking ownership of the harbour
• Negotiate an 'honourable' solution acceptable to ING allowing them to withdraw and transfer ownership
• Take over the harbour and Hayle Harbour Management Ltd.

The charitable trust, perhaps called Hayle Harbour Trust, would develop the harbour considering the following issues:

• Focus on jobs
• Respect the World Heritage Site
• Look long-term 10 to 40 years
• Ensure that there is minimal traffic impact

Hayle Town Council members voted unanimously, and with some rancour, to reject the ING planning application for a supermarket on South Quay. Read the full article here and more here.

The ING planning application files for the South Quay are now in the Plans section.