Locals 'won't lie down and accept' path closure

Local people are "not just going to just lie down and accept" the closure of a pathway and beach in Newquay, a campaigner has said.

Fencing has been placed blocking access to the pathway on the Glendorgal Headland, from Porth Beach to Lusty Glaze, for the redevelopment of Glendorgal Hotel, which plans to build 11 properties - including five three-storey townhouses.

The Glendorgal Coast Path Group has applied for a Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO), which would mean Cornwall Council would have to investigate the historical use of the route.

Developers Blue Chip Hotels Limited has been approached for comment.

Founder of the campaign group Matt Kennedy-Smith said the route was one he walked "on a daily basis" and questioned why it had been "taken away" from the public.

He said: "No-one really understood it because it's always been a route people have taken, never needed permission.

"It's always been a historic route people have taken and then, for it to be gone, people became annoyed, angry, frustrated and not really knowing where to go with it."

He added: "We've had several routes taken away from us, particularly in our area of Cornwall... I think people are starting to think, actually: 'No, the coastline is ours.'"

The campaigner said the public and landowners could "certainly coexist".

"We're after something we've always had to be reinstated - we believe that his development can coincide with us and the public and visitors having public right-of-way on the coastline around Newquay and around Cornwall."

St Austell and Newquay's Labour MP, Noah Law, said he supported the calls for the DMMO and said he had received "a high volume of correspondence from constituents on this issue".

There was evidence of the pathways use stretched back to "at least the reign of Queen Victoria," he added.

He said: "Glendorgal Headland is a sanctuary for countless people across Newquay and the surrounding area.

"For many, it's a place of reflection, with some constituents having told me that they have scattered the ashes of loved ones there, making the area particularly meaningful to them."

Law added the site had faced similar restrictions imposed by landowners in the past.

"Public access was hard fought for in this area approximately 150 years ago, with archive records showing similar protests and campaigns taking place to do exactly what is being repeated now: protect pathway access along the Glendorgal Headland," he said.

Kennedy-Smith said it could take up to 10 years for the DMMO application to be processed and hoped the process could be sped up.

He said: "We really don't want that to be the case here because the land will be gone.

"We really need it to be as fast as possible to try and secure, you know, that right away for everyone to enjoy."

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