The primary school at the centre of Cornwall's controversial Coyte Farm shopping centre development have written to Cornwall Council complaining that they have never been consulted about the plan.
St Mewan Primary School is an independent Academy school located next to Coyte Farm and the property developers behind the scheme, Mercian, have been extolling the benefits that the scheme will bring to the school and implying that they are in support of it.
However, it has transpired this week, in a letter to the council from Mrs A. M. Taylor, the school's Chair of Governors, that St Mewan School have never actually been consulted about this massive 70 acre out-of-town retail park to be located on the green fields next to the school:
"We have been concerned that the developers have previously implied that we have agreed to their proposals - we have never given our consent..."
They are also very concerned about the safety of the children if the building of the retail centre goes ahead - especially as the developers are planning to use the school's own car-park during the centre's construction:
"We are not currently prepared to agree to the existing school car park being used during any construction works, given that the safety of the children attending the school is our paramount concern..."
As a former pupil of St Mewan Primary School, it seems absolutely scandalous to me that the Coyte Farm retail centre may be given planning permission by Cornwall Council's planning committee this Thursday and yet a school full of small children right next to the development have never been consulted about it.
The school is currently in a quiet rural location but if the scheme goes ahead they will become part of Cornwall's third largest retail centre. Have any safety checks be carried out regarding the effect of increased road traffic on the school? Or the impact of huge numbers of the public being in the vicinity of the school & its young children?
It seems to me that a lot of questions need to be asked by the council about this!