ST STEPHEN resident and Launceston town councillor John Conway gave a passionate speech that the new 140-house housing development by Hallam Land Housing at Upper Chapel should come under Launceston Town Council’s parish boundary at the Cornwall Community Governance Review public consultation meeting at Launceston Town Hall on Tuesday, February 11.

Speaking as a resident, Cllr Conway said: “At Upper Chapel, one side of the road is Launceston parish, the other side is a field which belongs to St Thomas the Apostle Rural Parish Council. People who move here will believe they are moving to live in Launceston.

“What I’m asking for is that the boundary is extended to include the land. It makes sense for it to carry on past Upper Chapel.

“The people who live here will use the facilities of Launceston and think they are part of Launceston not St Thomas parish. They will look to use the library and toilets, not Tregadillett.

“They will refer to themselves as Launceston residents, not St Thomas residents.”

John Gynn, who lives in the St Thomas parish and is a former member of St Thomas the Apostle Rural Parish Council has sent out a questionnaire to residents of St Thomas Parish.

He replied: “I appreciate John’s comments, it’s a logical point he’s making, but all of them who go into Launceston still want to be part of St Thomas parish. You’re making the assumption that the new residents will be part of Launceston. The point I make is, you can’t just assume that they’ll want to be part of the town. They may quite like to be governed by a rural parish.

“The people we surveyed want to be part of St Thomas.

“I ask that the views of the people who already live there and who may live there are taken on board.

“John assumes that the new residents would want to be in Launceston, I’d assume they’d want to be part of St Thomas.”