Archive for category: News

Summer is finally here and so is or Summer Reading Challenge!

Our library staff have been busy over the last few weeks promoting the challenge in our local schools, and now it’s time to read! The children who sign up for the challenge will receive an activity book, stickers and rewards every time they return books, plus a certificate and free swim voucher when they complete the challenge by reading 6 books.

If they finish the challenge before 10^th August, they also have the chance to win four tickets to Flambards theme park!

While the summer reading challenge is ideal for primary age children, our mini challenge can be perfect for pre-schoolers.

If you’re a parent or guardian with a child who would like to get reading, it is not too late to be involved! You can sign up, by heading to our library open Monday & Friday 9:30am – 1pm, Tuesday & Thursday 9:30am – 5pm and Saturdays 10am – 2pm. You can also reserve a space on our Festival Week 5^th – 10^th August, an event with free activities for children.

We hope to see you Soon!

-Looe Town Council

On 8 July 2024 Cornwall Council East Sub-Area Committee considered PA23/10211 – Land Opposite Salter Close, St Martins, East Looe. Looe Town Council were represented, and we now provide this update for our residents.

Looe Town Council is a statutory consultee for planning applications. The Looe Town Council Planning Committee met on the 13th February 2024 to consider this application. The meeting was well attended, allowing our local community to have its say. The Planning Committee unanimously agreed to support the vast majority of those present and formally objected to the application.

Your Town Council agreed to appoint a planning consultant to act on our behalf to put forward our objections. These included water run-off concerns, land stability, sewerage and the impact the proposal would have on the quality of life for nearby residents.

At the Cornwall Council Sub-Area Committee Meeting

Looe Town Councillors Stephen Remington and James Lundy attended the meeting. Cllr Armand Toms, Looe Town Councillor and Cornwall Councillor also attended in his capacity as ward member for Looe East and Deviock.

Our appointed planning consultant put our objection across succinctly and professionally and Cllr Toms highlighted problems with the proposal. There was also an objective statement from a resident of the Barratts Estate. For Cornwall Council there were presentations from the Planning Case Officer and the Sustainable Drainage Officer.

However, despite their reservations, the Cornwall Councillors who form the Cornwall Council East- Sub Area Planning Committee voted to approve the application with a vote of 6 for and 2 against.

We at Looe Town Council are disappointed with the outline approval given by Cornwall Council. We believe that drainage and land stability should have been comprehensively investigated and detailed reports produced. In our opinion the proposed 43 dwellings in this application does not accord with our adopted (May 2022) Looe Neighbourhood Development Plan where it clearly stated no more than ‘around 25 dwellings’ on one given site.

What happens next

It is important to note that this approval is for an outline application. A full planning application will need to be submitted and Looe Town Council as a statutory consultee will have the opportunity to review all the detailed reports that will be required.

Cornwall Council will publish their approval letter shortly with all associated conditions for PA23/10211 – Land Opposite Salter Close. Please click here to access the Cornwall planning portal.

Planning application PA23/10211 – Land Opposite Salter Close will be be considered at the Cornwall Council Sub-East Planning Committee on Monday 8th July at 10:00 am. Looe Town Council’s appointed Planning Consultant will be in attendance to put forward the Council’s objections to this planning application.

A special Town Council Planning Committee meeting was held to consider this application on the 13th February 2024. The Looe Neighbourhood Plan supports new housing for the town but the committee, after hearing comments from the members of the public and careful consideration of this application unanimously agreed to submit an objection to Cornwall Council.

The minutes of this meeting together with the objection submitted to Cornwall Council are available on the Council website.

The Town Council is a statutory consultee for planning applications but ultimately Cornwall Council make the decision whether a planning application is approved. The Council’s comments, along with other consultees and comments from the general public are all considered when Cornwall Council make a planning decision.

For more information about public participation and the Cornwall Council Sub East Area Planning Committee please click here

We took the time to speak with councillors to learn more about their aims and aspirations as a member of the Looe Town Council, in addition to the hobbies and interests they have outside of work.

The aim of this series is for the reader to ‘meet’ the councillors from a personal perspective.

The series begins by introducing Stephen Remington, Deputy Mayor.

Aims and Aspirations: 

“How can we help?” is the question I like our Council to ask. Our first instinct should be to make it easier for people to find answers and make progress.

• I’d like to help to coordinate volunteering to support our town, to develop initiatives that can help young people who want to settle or remain and build their working lives here, to ensure that those in need can find solutions. I want to help our Council run efficiently and support our excellent staff team.

• We live in a historic and fascinating town in a beautiful natural environment; each year I’d love to see further improvements building on our inherited legacy. Our Neighbourhood Plan gives us excellent guidance.

• Looe has several key organisations with specific roles and it has been great to see closer working among us. The creation of the new Looe Business Forum is most welcome. Working seamlessly together is surely the best way forward.

• We also need, as a Council, to be robust about things that aren’t so good – anti-social behaviour and crime, homelessness, planning abuses, conflict between pedestrians and traffic. Our powers are limited but we should deploy them effectively!

Working Background

I’ve been a frequent visitor to friends in Looe since the 1970s but my working life has been widespread. My 20 years in the arts culminated with 14 years running Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London after which I ran Action for Blind People for two decades. The arts consolidated my internationalist beliefs and I brought many performing companies to London – dance, opera, music theatre and spectacle – from all parts of the World. Working with people living with sight loss taught me much about deprivation, poverty and exclusion while also inspiring me with heroic stories of rising above challenges and powering to success. I hope that some of my lifelong learning can be of use to our Town Council.

Hobbies and Interests 

Outside my Council duties I enjoy sailing, walking, reading, music, spending time with friends and family and travel. I have done a good deal of mountain walking, especially in the Highlands, in Spain and in the Black Forest. The climbs get tougher with age but the views from summits seem even greater for the effort.

I’m a hopeless cook and often can’t tell a weed from a flower. These are shortcomings that I have no plans to remedy despite my love of well prepared food and beautiful gardens.

If you feel you would be a suited councillor, the position is open and can be applied for via: enquiries@looetowncouncil.gov.uk