Penzance Town Council has voted by 7 to 6 in favour of the plans submitted to redevelop the site as a Sainbury’s supermarket as well as a petrol station, car park, park-and-ride scheme and other business units.  The debate lasted almost two hours as town councillors discussed the plan.  Arguments against the plan focused on the effect on the current shopping area of putting this new edge-of-town scheme in place.  Supporters cited it as a good example of a large company offering much-needed investment in the town.  The town mayor alienated herself from all of the town’s retailers in saying that the town needed “better jobs” than a supermarket would provide – completely ignoring the opportunities for promotion and specialist training one of Britain’s biggest retailers would offer.

The application now progresses to Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee.

Meantime current tenant British International Helicopters is working on its own planning applications for a new heliport a few miles east at St Erth.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com