A LARGE crowd attended a site meeting at Trevalga last Thursday to look at the location for South West Water's proposals for a sewage treatment works, writes Suzanne Cleave.

A number of planning committee members were joined by representatives from the Ramblers' Association, the AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) team and the Caravan Club.

There was a lot of support for TATAS (Trevalga and Trethevy Against Sewage), whose members have been campaigning against the plans, and who were keen to get their voices heard.

TATAS chair, Clive Baylay, said: "It was very well attended. Over 100 people were there to voice their opposition. Many planning policies were quoted for reasons why it shouldn't go there. It was a great feeling of community and togetherness."

He noted that the Caravan Club representative told the meeting that there is a caravan site just across the road from the proposed location. In 2008, 19,000 people pitched there, with an average spend of £27 — making a total of £513,000 for the local economy.

It was felt that this was a good reason to turn down the plans, as a sewage treatment works would be detrimental to local tourism. The caravan site is in the club's top 25 in the British Isles.

Mr Baylay recalled that at the end of the meeting, the planning chairman looked up to a local eight-year-old boy, who was perched in a tree. He asked him if he had anything to say on the matter, and the boy replied that he had lived in Trethevy all his life and wanted to carry on living there, but he didn't want to live next to a sewage works.

Mr Baylay said the campaign group were feeling confident following the site meeting, and added: "We don't feel they have any other option than to refuse the application. There are very, very strong planning reasons that don't give them much alternative that to turn it down.

"It is our argument that to put a sewage works there would be environmental vandalism bordering on the criminal."