Hayle Eye: Information on Hayle, Cornwall for visitors & locals. Whats Happening. Walks, Flora and Fauna, Harbour News. Beach and tourist information.

<body> <h1><a href="Articles/ArticlesIdx.htm">Hayle Eye, Cornwall</a></h1> <p><font size="2">Find out what's going on in <b>Hayle</b>. On the beach, harbour, Contains news,<a href="http://EyePhoto.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/PastPhotos007.htm"> photos</a> and info about <b>Hayle</b> beach & Towans that lie at the south western tip of <b>Cornwall</b> at the southernmost part of <a href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/historymenu.htm"> <b>St Ives Bay</b>.</a> The town of St Ives itself lies across the bay. Hayle proudly proclaims its '3 Miles of Golden Sand' which extends from the mouth of the River <b>Hayle</b> to Godrevy Island.</font></p> <p> </p> <h1><a href="http://www.soshayle.fsnet.co.uk">Hayle Eye Supports SOS Hayle </a> </h1> <p><font size="2">Which is  based at <b>Hayle</b>, <b>Cornwall</b> and aims to protect the coast and coastal, littoral and marine environment it St Ives Bay. <b>Sand</b> digging on the Hayle Cornwall has resumed. Despite the <a href="Contacts/Contacts.htm">Babtie report</a> being welcomed by all sides and the conclusions of the report being voted upon and accepted Recently an unsightly stone track way has been built over the sands to aid sand removal and stop the heavy machinery becoming bogged down. Meanwhile Hayle Fishermen have shown support for SOS in calling for a halt to sand extraction claiming that the current sand digging operation is not necessary and is actually making matters worse. As the Easter holiday period rapidly approaches diggers continue to pile sand into trucks and carry it away in total defiance of the reports findings. It is clear that no voluntary agreement is ever going to be kept to and therefore SOS is seeking to compel the District Council to impose the Section 18 Notice without undue delay. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><a href="http://EyeWalks.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Walking.htm">Dredging the sand from beach</a></h1> <p><font size="2">A recent survey of the beach at Hayle has confirmed that despite claims that the lack of sand on the beach was a seasonal effect, the sand has failed to return to the beach. Hayle Harbour is currently operated by Hayle Harbour Company which is owned by Rosshill developments. A development of the Harbour is currently being supported by London and Amsterdam Developments with the backing of <b>Penwith District Council</b>. Hayle Cornwall is quite rightly noted for its three miles of golden sand and Hayle Beach and the other beaches in St Ives bay at Lelant, Carbis Bay and St Ives attract thousands of tourists each year. The Hayle <b>Estuary</b> has a long history of problems caused by sand being washed into the estuary from St Ives Bay. In the past the solution to the problem was to build two tidal pools at <a href="Articles/Article-002.htm">Carnsew</a> and <a href="Articles/Article-003.htm">Copperhouse</a> to impound water on the rising tide and release this water through sluice gates on the ebb tide thereby flushing the accumulated sand from the navigable channel and back out into St Ives bay where the natural currents carried it around in a clockwise circular motion. Sand dredging and sand extraction were unnecessary. This was of course a never ending task as eventually the circular current deposited the sand back in the channel again. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><a href="http://EyePhoto.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/PastPhotos007.htm">Environmental Damage</a></h1> <p><font size="2">However it was proven to be very effective cost nothing to run and was environmentally friendly. No sand was removed from the natural system and beach levels in the bay were not affected. The only effect was to scour the navigable channel. In recent years however the owners of the harbour allowed the sluice gates to fall into disrepair and have resorted to the actual mechanical extraction and dredging of sand by JCB and truck. There is a matter of dispute over the question of where the sand has been taken from with the Harbour owners saying that the sand has only been removed from the channel and local people testifying that sand has actually been removed from the beach and foreshore. It is up to you who you believe on this matter but what cannot be questioned is that many thousands of tonnes of sand have been scooped up by JCBs, <a href="Articles/Article-042.htm">loaded onto trucks</a>, taken away and sold never to return to St Ives Bay. Local people believe that the net loss of thousands of tonnes of sand from the natural system has had a severe impact on the beach levels which in places have fallen markedly, and that the digging of sand from the beach has resulted in the destabilisation of the adjacent dunes which are now falling down into the holes that have been created by the digging. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><a href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/historymenu.htm">Tourist and Holiday Industry under threat</a></h1> <p><font size="2">Hayle Eye believes that continued dredging and sand extraction and removal at Hayle will ultimately lead to adverse effects on all of the beaches of <a href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/historymenu.htm">St Ives Bay</a> and that short term commercial gain is putting the tourist and holiday trade at risk. Hayle, Cornwall and the Cornish depend on the tourist trade to a large extent, holiday developments, vacation sites and Bed and breakfast establishments provide accommodation for many visitors who come to Cornwall for its unique environment. May come specifically for the sea, sand and beaches and of course surfing and body boarding are becoming increasingly popular especially at <a href="Articles/Article-046.htm">Gwithian and Godreavy</a> near the lighthouse. All this it at risk if the dredging, extraction and removal of sand is allowed to continue. Hayle Estuary is an important site for birds, indeed much of the estuary is a<a href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/historymenu.htm"> RSPB site</a> important for migrating birds being the most southerly estuary in the country. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><a href="Fun/Fun.htm">Hayle Harbour Company</a></h1> <p><font size="2">Following local protests the Harbour company has on several occasions promised to stop the removal of sand - only to resume again a short time later. Pressure from <a href="Contacts/Contacts.htm">SOS</a> forced the local council to commission a report into the hydrology of the estuary. During the preparation of the report a moratorium on sand removal was agreed, sand was still dug from the estuary but under the agreement was stockpiled pending the outcome of the report with a possible view to returning it to the beach on the conclusion of the report. The report was finally published and the outcome was a recommendation that sand extraction should cease. The Council and Harbour Company publicly accepted the report but the sand removal continued. As a result of sustained pressure the council have agreed to pressure a Section 18 notice to provide legal protection to the beach and this is now in progress - to what extent of will actually protect he beach remains to be seen. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><a href="http://EyeFloraFauna.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/FloraFauna.htm">St Ives Bay</a></h1> <p><font size="2">For many years <a href="Forum/ForumFrmOK.htm">Hayle</a> Cornwall Harbour itself has been in decline and the owners over the past 25 years have presided over its rapid deterioration. The Harbour used to be kept clear of sand by sluicing. Water would be impounded on the high tide in two huge pools at Carnsew and Copperhouse and then allowed to flow out and scour the harbour as the tide fell. Recently however this practice which served Hayle well for more than 100 years was stopped and replaced by the commercial extraction of sand by diggers and trucks. Many believe that whereas the 'old fashioned method' maintained the overall amount of sand in St Ives Bay, the new practice of digging up the sand and selling it, often thousands of tonnes a week is impacting on the beach and the surrounding dunes. After all, if you dig and remove the sand from the beach at the base of the dunes it does not take much imagination to realise what will happen to the dunes themselves. SOS is a local group dedicated to protecting <a href="http://EyeWalks.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Walking.htm">Hayle Beach</a> and Estuary so that the valuable plants and wildlife can be preserved and so that this unique landscape can be enjoyed by future generations. We believe that the commercial mining of sand from Hayle is having serous effects not only on the beach and surrounding dunes but on the whole of the shore of St Ives Bay. </font> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2">SOS organised the first petition which was signed by more than 2000 people. This was presented to the District Council and and called for a permanent halt to commercial sand removal from the Hayle Estuary.   Following <a href="Links/Links.htm">SOS</a> Pressure Penwith District Council, commissioned a report into the marine processes in the Hayle Estuary. Hayle Harbour Company agreed to abide by the findings of the study; one of the key recommendations of which was that the removal of sand should cease in order to allow an equilibrium to be reached. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><font size="5"><a href="Articles/ArticlesIdx.htm">Section 18 Notice</a></font></h1> <p><font size="2">Subsequently a Section 18 Notice has been put in place with the intention of protecting the beach, but despite this the new owners of Hayle Harbour, Dutch based developers ING Real Estate have resumed the digging and selling of sand. </font> </p> <p align="justify"> <font size="2">Owner after owner has exploited Hayle Harbour at the expense of the environment and with the subsequent deterioration of this beautiful Cornish beach. </font> </p> <p align="justify">  </p> <p align="justify"> <font size="2">SOS now believes that it is time to draw a line under what has gone on in the past. No private owner has proven capable of protecting the beach or coming up with sustainable plans for the regeneration of the harbour and none is ever likely to be able to do so.</font></p> <p align="justify">  </p> <h1> <font size="5"><a href="contribute/Contribute.htm">Hayle, West Cornwall</a></font></h1> <p align="justify"> <font size="2">There is little doubt that of all of the harbours in West Cornwall Hayle is in the most dire need of improvement. However while the nearby publicly owned harbours of Penzance, Newlyn and St Ives stand to  be improved with Objective One funds, privately owned Hayle seems destined to lose out yet again. </font> </p> <p align="justify">  </p> <p align="justify"> <font size="2">The only way forward is to bring the Harbour into public ownership, by means of a compulsory purchase order if necessary so that the beach can be protected and sensible regeneration of the harbour itself initiated. </font> </p> <p>  </p> <h1> <font size="5"><a href="http://EyeWalks.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Walking.htm">Holiday Beach</a></font></h1> <p> <font size="2">We have been informed that an agreement has now been reached to implement the Section 18 Notice which originally came into force in September and that this will restrict removal of sand to specified amounts and from designated areas. </font> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2">The company is presently costing the repair to Carnsew sluice gate with the aim of reintroducing sluicing. 'Proper dredging' may well be used to clear the blocked channel, an area where diggers and trucks cannot reach. Short to medium term, some sand is going to be returned to the sand cell at Gwithian assuming the Duchy of Cornwall approve. </font> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2">There is to be a reform of the Hayle Harbour Advisory Group after which, as that body's terms of reference allow, this would make for rigorous, professional running of the harbour with advice on best practise being delivered to the company rather than the present state of affairs which is very unsatisfactory. </font> </p> <p> </p> <h1><font size="5"><a href="Forum/ForumFrmOK.htm">3 Miles of Golden Sand</a></font></h1> <p><font size="2">Much progress has been made and this is very welcome. All the above are dependent on continued co-operation and collaboration and will need careful management. It is the fervent hope that this is the start of the long process of protecting the beach and keeping the channel clear in a sustainable way which will not further damage the St Ives Bay.</font></p> <p> </p> <h1><font size="5"><a href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/historymenu.htm">History of Hayle</a></font></h1> <font size="2">The present town of Hayle is situated at the south eastern end of St Ives bay around the Hayle Estuary. The town of Hayle itself is quite a modern phenomena and dates back only as far as the 18th Century and the industrial revolution. That said there is a long history of settlement around the Hayle Estuary which goes back at least as far as the Bronze Age. There is evidence of an Iron Age fort on the hill above Carnsew Pool where the Plantation now stands and it is thought that Hayle (or Heyl in Celtic), was important in trading tin with not only Irish and Breton traders, but also with Phoenicians from the eastern Mediterranean. Evidence of extensive trading include finds of imported pottery including Romano/Grecian Amphora - containers for wine and oil.</font><p> </p> <p><font size="2">he first recorded mention of Hayle is in 1265 but it would seem even then the settlement was little more than a few dwellings and scattered farms. It took the industrial revolution to kick-start the growth of Hayle. Hayle was initially a coal importing and ore exporting port but Hayle was initially dwarfed by nearby Angarrack where a tin smelter was built in 1704, and  mills and stamps converted/constructed to process the ore.  Hayle's role was simply to serve as a convenient point to land coal from South Wales, which was then taken to Angarrack by mule. In 1710 a copper and tin smelter was built at Mellanear Farm on the Mellanear stream which prospered for many years</font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2"><a href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Heritage/Harveys.htm">Harvey's of Hayle </a>reached their peek in the early/mid 1800's producing not only but along with the other foundries and engineering works in Hayle began a long and slow decline. Harvey's acquired the Cornish Copper Company in 1875 but the writing was on the wall. The engineering works and Foundry were closed in 1903 though the company continued to trade as general and builders merchant, eventually merging with UBM to become Harvey-UBM in 1969. </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2">In the 1980's entrepreneur Peter de Savery's, grandiose plans were scuppered by a downturn in the economy and since that time Hayle Harbour has changed hands numerous times. Many plans have been drawn and re-drawn but to date they have come to naught.</font></p> <p> <a title="Welcome to Hayle Eye" href="HayleEye.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/welcome-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Welcome to Hayle Eye"></a></p> <p> <a title="Index of Previous Articles" href="Articles/ArticlesIdx.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/previous-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Previous Hayle Eye Articles"></a></p> <p> <a title="Have your Say " href="Forum/ForumFrmOK.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/forum-b.jpg" width="140" height="33"></a></p> <p> <a target="main" href="http://EyePhoto.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/FeaturedPhoto.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/photo.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Featured Photograph"></a><br> <a target="main" href="http://EyeHistory.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/historymenu.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/history.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Hayle's History and Herritage"></a></p> <p> <a title="Hayle Flora and Fauna" href="http://EyeFloraFauna.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/FloraFauna.htm"><img border="0" src="nav/florafauna-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Hayle Eye, Flora and Fauna Guide"></a><br> <a title="Walks in West Cornwall within easy reach of Hayle" href="http://EyeWalks.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Walking.htm"><img border="0" src="nav/localwaks-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Walks in and around Hayle"></a></p> <p> <a title="Event Diary for Hayle and District" href="WhatsOn/WhatsOnfrm.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/whatson-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="What's happening in Hayle"></a><br> <a target="main" title="Photo Quiz" href="Fun/Fun.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/fun-b.jpg" width="140" height="33"></a></p> <div align="left"> <a title="Send us an Article for Publication" href="contribute/Contribute.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/contribute-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Contribute to Hayle Eye"></a></div> <div align="left"> <a title="Selected links to other web sites" href="Links/Links.htm"> <img border="0" src="nav/links-b.jpg" width="140" height="33" alt="Other sites of interest"></a></div> <div align="left"> <table border="0" width="150" id="table1"> <tr> <td width="27"> <img border="0" src="nav/newhe.gif" width="25" height="11"></td> <td><font size="1">New in the last 7 days</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="27"> <img border="0" src="nav/updthe.gif" width="28" height="9"></td> <td><font size="1">Updated in last 7 days</font></td> </tr> </table> </div> <div align="center">   </div> <div align="center">   <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> var sc_project=935492; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=7; var sc_security="0595caf4"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/frames.js"></script><noscript><a href="http://www.statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://c8.statcounter.com/counter.php?sc_project=935492&java=0&security=0595caf4&invisible=0" alt="site stats" border="0"></a> </noscript>  <br> <font size="1" color="#000080">Visitor Count </font> </div> <p align="center" style="text-align: center">  <a href="http://www.familyfriendlysites.com/FamilyFriendly/default.asp?nID=42282" > <IMG SRC= "http://emblems.familyfriendlysites.com/familyfriendly120x78.gif" border=0 ></a>  </p> <p style="text-align: center"><img border="0" src="images/award_top.gif" width="89" height="108"></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </body>