Godrevy Lighthouse
For years, Virginia Woolf readers and scholars around the globe have fought against development plans that threatened the view of the Cornwall coast and Godrevy Lighthouse from Talland House in St. Ives, Cornwall. Now, it seems, that popular and precious view will likely be lost forever.
The message below was contributed by Polly Carter, the National Trust certified gardener at Talland House, and circulated by the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain. It is the latest update on the opposition to the plans and includes a discussion of legal options, costs, and the path ahead.
Background
Talland House is important to Woolf’s legacy for several reasons. It was the setting and inspiration for her 1927 novel To the Lighthouse. It was also where Woolf and her family spent their summers until her mother, Julia Stephen, died in 1895, when Woolf was 13.
As many of you will be aware, news broke in the new year that there was an application with Cornwall Council for amendments to a 2009 planning permission for a 5-storey block of 12 luxury apartments on a site in front of Talland house, which would block the famous view of the bay and lighthouse from Woolf’s formative childhood summer home in St Ives.
Professor Maggie Humm, vice-chair of the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain, and Councillor Johnnie Wells, Deputy Mayor of St. Ives at the Talland House plaque unveiling on Sept. 11, 2022. Photo: St. Ives September Festival
Because the application was for amendments to an existing planning permission we were unable to object on grounds of harm to the setting of a listed building, which according to accounts from St Ives Town Council and Cornwall Council, we would have been successful in doing. We still wanted to object to the application for amendments in the hope that the developer would not want to build to the original plans and put in new planning permission, which we could them object to on heritage grounds.
Because our grounds for objecting to the specificity of the amendments were so limited, we chose to bring in legal expertise. Sarah Clover, Barrister at The Kings Chambers, a top of her field expert in planning law. She found fault with Cornwall Council’s route to applying the amendments to the original planning permission. Cornwall Council objected to the points raised in our KC’s advice and granted the permission anyway.
Last week we met with KC Clover and planning law expert solicitor Brendon Lee and they both considered that we do have a legal challenge worth bringing to judicial review. This would mean employing them to create a case detailing the legal mistakes made by Cornwall Council, inviting Cornwall Council to defend themselves and seeing if a judge agrees that the case is worth bringing to court.
If they did, then we could fight it in court in the hope of winning, resulting in the quashing of the application for amendments. Our problem is that the chances of winning are unpredictable and costs could potentially accumulate to un-manageable amounts.
The financial risks
Estimated costs could include:
- Initial legal preparation: £10,000–£20,000
- Further legal work if the case progresses: £10,000–£30,000
- Potential court costs if the case proceeds and is unsuccessful: £10,000–£30,000
In total, costs could potentially reach £30,000–£80,000.
Because of these risks, it would likely require a named individual to act as the legal client, which also enables a lower cost capping threshold, rather than relying solely on a loosely organized fundraising effort, in case the fundraising cannot meet the demand.
A difficult decision
The group now faces a very narrow window of time. If a judicial review is to be pursued, legal preparations would need to begin within the next two weeks to meet the filing deadline. After this date, the option of judicial review is no longer available.
But the financial implications make this decision impossible without substantial and swift backing. Even if all the money could be found, the risk that it would still come to nothing at all, and even with a win that the original planning permission is still valid, it feels like too much to ask of anyone.
So, we have likely come to the end of the road for quashing the current application for amendments that the developer has asked for and received.
Looking forward
While the potential loss of the historic view from Talland House would be deeply disappointing to many who value its connection to Virginia Woolf, there is also growing interest in strengthening public engagement with the site itself.
Ideas being discussed include:
- Developing visual arts related programming around Talland House
- Increasing the garden tours and sharing the story of the meaningful planting being developed there
- Setting up a Virginia Woolf themed Book Club in St Ives to connect local people to the significance of Woolf’s work and St Ives’ place within that
- Building a broader network of supporters committed to protecting the cultural legacy of Talland House.
- Exploring the possibility of a Virginia Woolf museum and gallery in St Ives
- Curating To The Lighthouse centenary celebrations next year
Whatever the immediate outcome, the conversation has already highlighted how strongly many people feel about preserving the literary and historical significance of Talland House for future generations.
Thank-yous
Lots of work by lots of people has gone into the overall process so far, and despite it not being quite over yet I wanted to thank some key people who have been instrumental in getting us to this stage.
As the gardener at Talland house I am deeply connected to the place and have experienced first-hand how deeply moved people are by experiencing it and hearing its story which has urged me on. I’d like to thank:
- Peter Eddy, the owner of Talland House, who has allowed these forms of engagement and supported the campaign opposing the development.
- The residents of Talland house whose privacy I have tried to respect in this process, but who all care deeply about the place.
- The Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain, particularly Maggie Humm who has been beside me all the way in this process, Sarah Latham Philips, previously of the VWSGB Executive but is still supporting the campaign and my development within it, Lynn Fox who helped put the case file together ahead of decision date and has been an encouraging support, the residents of Gallinus Point, who were among those who contributed to the legal fees, Gemma Jerome, environmental planner who appeared miraculously at just the right time and has provided guidance and clarity, and a huge thank you to Sharon Bylenga who jumped to action on day one, new year’s eve and has given essential financial support and unwavering guidance to and confidence in me and the team.
- And finally, everyone who lodged an objection in the planning portal or wrote to the Council/MP’s.
For answers to any questions or to add offers for further support, please write to pollycartergardener@icloud.com, and follow @Tallandhouse on Instagram for future updates.
