Embattled Cornish pier given upgraded heritage status
Ferry Online Travel News 01/07/2010
The government has approved upgraded status for a Cornish pier at the centre of a planning battle.
The government has upgraded the official historical status of a pier in Cornwall that has been the subject of a bitter row over planning. English Heritage, which oversees the regulation and protection of historic buildings and monuments in England, recommended Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, raise the status of South Pier in Penzance to Grade II*, from its existing Grade a II level.
Campaigners welcomed the move, seeing it as strengthening their fight against plans for a £44-million terminal that they say would have reduced enjoyment of the historical structure. John Maggs, from The Friends of Penzance Harbour, said that if the plans go ahead, large portions of the old sea wall will be obstructed and some of the parapet well will be torn down to make way for truck access.
As part of a national spending review by the new coalition government, funding for the terminal development project has been put on hold. The battle between heritage campaigners and prospective developers, including Cornwall Council, the Council of the Isles of Scilly, and the Duchy of Cornwall, has grown heated and personal since plans for the project were first announced in 2008.
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