The residents of a Cornish town have been on a roller coaster of hope and despair since the 1980s, when a redevelopment package for their harbour was first put together.
Plans to regenerate Hayle harbour have been promised to locals for almost 40 years. After decades of dereliction and many failed attempts, the long-awaited transformation of the site is finally one step closer.
This week, work started at North Quay, one of the parts of Hayle harbour which is hoped to be turned into a attractive destination in Cornwall.
This first phase is set to feature approximately 140 properties over eleven buildings, including 17 three-bedroom wharf style houses and one, two and three-bedroom apartments, many with views over the Hayle estuary and beyond.
It also includes the development of North Quay Square, which will host events all year round, and some 20 retail units for offices, shops and restaurants, creating a bustling café culture.
The development is being built by Corinthian Homes (part of the Corinthian Homes Group) and is scheduled to see its first properties launched for reservation in early 2020 and completed beginning summer 2020.
We have looked back at the evolution of the Hayle harbour regeneration scheme. Our archives, which include stories published in the West Briton and The Cornishman, go back to June 2002.
At the time, several proposals had already been submitted and failed. A new planning application for 700 quayside houses was being prepared.
Here is a timeline of the events:
The regeneration of Hayle harbour since 2002
June 2002
The harbour company’s consultants were putting together a masterplan which was to form the basis of a new planning application.
This application was expected to be submitted during the summer.
As well as the housing development the proposal was to include the creation of a new tidal harbour for fishing vessels; industrial units; hotel accommodation; retail and leisure units; reclamation of south dock; highway improvements at Carnsew Road and Penpol/Hayle Terrace; community and public facilities.
The company commissioned more than £300,000 worth of preparatory studies and surveys and ecological studies of the harbour area had also been completed.
July 2002
Ambitious plans to create an £8.2 million centre of excellence in photography as part of the regeneration scheme were revealed. The aim was to rival the Tate Gallery, the Falmouth Maritime Museum and the Eden Project.
Apertura, as it would have been called, would have been a brand new 26,000 square foot complex with a commercial archiving arm, training facilities and galleries.
Estimates suggested at the time that it would have attracted 100,000 visitors each year, created up to 85 jobs plus others in related industries, and provided around 50 training places annually.
The project, which was masterminded by Penwith District Council, was being seen as a possible flagship development within the overall regeneration of Hayle harbour.
April 2006 was seen as a realistic opening date with a deadline of 2008.
August 2002
The revived proposal for the £200 million redevelopment of Hayle harbour and surrounding land went on show to the public.
Many residents at the time viewed it as the final chance for the regeneration of Hayle after decades of decline and a number of failed redevelopment attempts in the past.
The proposed development was to include elements of housing, commercial, retail and leisure and the centrepiece of the entire scheme will be a £23 million art gallery.
The project also included a new bridge link to North Quay, a tidal impoundment scheme and new fishing harbour facilities but the size of the shopping development was considerably reduced and there were 700 dwellings instead of the 1,000 contained in the last set of proposals.
According to Hayle harbour support group, the majority of the people who put forward their comments were in favour of the proposals.
September 2002
The revised plans were officially endorsed by Penwith Council.
February 2003
Penwith Council issued a statement after owners Rosshill Properties went into administration and the promised planning application never was submitted to Cornwall Council.
It confirmed that the regeneration of the area remained its number one priority.
A spokesperson for the council added that a change of ownership was required but that they would not buy it.
August 2003
Development company London and Amsterdam Ltd was in in negotiations to buy the site.
Ian Pearce, who was the company’s chief executive, said at the time: “We are close to agreement. There is still an awful lot to sort out because this site has an amazing history with previous owners. This is the most complex thing I have dealt with in 30 years.”
October 2004
ING Real Estate Development UK, an international banking and property development company which already owned the surrounding land, acquired the harbour for an undisclosed sum after months of legal wrangling
They confirmed that the regeneration project would still go ahead.
June 2005
Hayle Harbour Management Ltd, which was formed in the wake of the harbour’s purchase by Dutch firm ING, said they expected the company’s new planning application to be submitted to Penwith Council “sometime in September”.
December 2005
A year after details of the project were first revealed, ING Real Estate staged a second exhibition to confirm its commitment to the scheme
It said that the multimillion-pound plan was likely to create up to 2,000 jobs.
Key elements included 870 homes – including 175 affordable – two hotels, a marina and sailing club, a new fishing harbour, thousands of square feet of business, industrial and commercial space and a combined business centre, college and health centre.
A new element was deeper dredging of the harbour to create a permanent pool of water, the reinstatement of sluicing and a flood protection gate at Penpol Creek.
April 2008
Outline planning application submitted.
May 2008
New plans went on public display.
ING Real Estate staged a three-day exhibition at John Harvey House to give the public an opportunity to discuss the now £220 million scheme.
The plan now included 175 affordable homes out of 1,039 new dwellings and more than 18,000 square metres of business and retail space.
Outline planning permission, which also proposed a new fishing harbour, 60-bedroom hotel, marina and a sailing club was being dealt with by Penwith District Council.
January 2009
The project received qualified support, however planning officers drew a list of issues to be resolved before full approval could be granted.
These included traffic congestion, repairs to the harbour infrastructure, the provision of community facilities, maintaining World Heritage Status, sluicing and dredging of the harbour. There were also aspects of the development which fell outside Penwith’s planning policy which had to be cleared with the Secretary of State, including building a housing estate on a Greenfield site. Cllr Rob Lello raised concerns over the lack of a landmark building, such as a cinema or water sports centre, and said he feared that South Quay may be used for housing.
October 2009
It emerged that Hayle Habour Management Ltd which was running Hayle harbour was operating at an annual loss of more than £424k.
Later that month, ING was accused of asset-stripping the project. It wanted to separate its 600-acre estate from the port and set up a board to steer its loss-making harbour company towards viability.
The proposal to hive off the unprofitable Hayle Harbour Management Ltd (HHMLwas greeted with dismay by leading councillors. They feared the move could have led to taxpayers being forced to take over the failing port or, in a worst-case scenario, its eventual closure.
June 2010
Planning permission was expected to be granted within weeks – more than a year after it was awarded in principle.
September 2010
A new revised multimillion pound plan to develop land at South Quay in Hayle was announced.
ING said it would be releasing its latest proposal which it said would create a vibrant social hub around the Foundry Square.
The plans now included a cinema, supermarket, housing and a flagship restaurant.
The land at South Quay was expected to be the final piece of the masterplan but following a review and feedback from its ‘stakeholders’ the company decided to prioritise the area over the rest of the development.
It was announced that work could start the following year.
Hayle Harbour Support Group gave its support to the new plans.
October 2010
Two multimillion-pound offers were made by competitors for ING to drop their plans for a supermarket on South Quay.
December 2010
The plans for South Quay were submitted.
January 2011
A confused town councillor accidentally voted to recommend rejection of Hayle’s harbour regeneration scheme. This meant Hayle Town Council voted seven to six against the revised plans.
February 2011
The plans won the backing of Cornwall Council’s planning officers.
March 2011
The work at North and East Quays started to put the harbour on the international stage for marine energy.
The £14 million infrastructure project included a new bridge over Copperhouse Pool, improved highway access, the repair of harbour walls on both quays, the creation of a promenade along North Quay and flood protection.
August 2011
Sainsbury’s announced that it was interested in opening a superstore on South Quay.
ING also proposed to gift the harbour and other assets to the town.
October 2011
Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee approved ING’s proposal to build a supermarket, restaurants, business units and housing on the listed South Quay.
April 2012
Hundreds of people from all over Cornwall travelled to Hayle to watch a major step forward in the development of the town. Spectators watched as construction workers spent nine hours pouring concrete into the new bridge deck – a crucial part of the development of Hayle Harbour’s North Quay.
November 2012
Asda revealed it was about to win a long-running battle between supermarket chains for the South Quay site.
It said that the store could open in 2014, creating up to 270 jobs.
April 2013
Preliminary works to prepare Hayle’s South Quay for the building of a new supermarket began
Boats were moved off the derelict quay while workmen were spotted carrying out preparatory works.
April 2015
Hayle harbour was transferred to new ownership Corinthian Land. ING sold off its assets in Hayle.
May 2018
Developer Sennybridge submitted detailed plans for the site which would include apartments and wharf houses along with restaurants, workspaces, shops and a new public square.
The plans were drawn up in co-operation with Cornwall Council, Hayle Town Council, the World Heritage team and Historic England.
January 2020
Work starts at North Quay.
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