Doubt has been cast over the future of Helston s former Budgens building after information relating to it becoming a community facility for public use was removed from the main page of a public consultation website. Back in January the Pegasus Group, acting on behalf of Parsonage Developments, set up the website www.landathospitalcross.co.uk asking for the public s views about developing the land at Hospital Cross in a retail site with an Aldi foodstore, a Range home and leisure store with associated garden centre and McDonald’s drive-thru and restaurant. As part of the overview details it included a paragraph relating to the former Co-op and Budgens building in the Trengrouse Way car park. The building is now owned by Parsonage, while Cornwall Council owns the car park surrounding it.
There was said to be heavy police activity around Helston this morning, with sniffer dogs and police officers on foot. The Packet has been told that there were at least seven cars , as well as a sniffer dog and on-foot police officers. The activity was said to centre around the Trengrouse Way, Trevenen Road, Kingsley Way and Trelawney Road area. A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: Police were called at around 10.20am with reports of a male seen acting suspiciously in the Beacon Parc area of Helston. Officers have carried out searches in the town and enquiries are ongoing.
An environmental group has called for greater transparency from Helston s councillors and urged them to honour their climate pledge over plans to develop land at the top of town into a retail park. Last week the Packet reported how a public consultation had begun on a proposed development of land at Hospital Cross into an Aldi supermarket, Range store with garden centre and a McDonald s. Linked to this would be the redevelopment of the former Co-op/Budgens store in Trengrouse Way into a community facility for public use. The land is owned by the Downsland Trust, which supports local groups with grants, with the trustees historically made up of serving town councillors.
People have been warned they must report every crime they see if they want something to do be done by police after it was claimed the problem had got out of control in Helston. The message came after the increasing issue of anti-social behaviour and other crimes in the town was raised at the town council on Thursday, with one member claiming it had got so dangerous - although another said it should not be put out of perspective and that Helston was still safe. Councillor Ronnie Williams first raised the issue, saying he was speaking on behalf of people in Beacon Parc and Trengrouse Way, the area in which he lives.