AN ALTERNATIVE scheme to regenerate Penzance Harbour has been submitted for pre-planning by a group of local businesses.

The Penzance Business Network (PBN) filed a pre- planning application on Option PZ to Cornwall Council last week.

The group hopes the move will help it to open up a dialogue with the council's planning officers, conservation specialists and English Heritage.

"We have submitted the plans so that PBN members are able to talk to the planning department about their ideas and to get a foot in the door," member Hadrian Pigott explained.

"We want to talk to English Heritage about what sort of impact Option PZ would have on the listed structure around the harbour. We are still concerned about the damage done to the listed structure of South Pier and its environment."

The PBN said it remained concerned that the Route Partnership could still fail to gain the final consents it requires before the Department for Transport and Convergence funds are released for the project.

The deadline for submissions by all concerned parties on the listed building consent application for Option A passed on Tuesday.

The application will now be considered by the planning department of the Government Office for the West Midlands, which will advise the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham.

Penzance Business Network says the main problem with the application lies with the passenger and freight terminal building and the related sea defences works proposed for the grade II listed South Pier.

A spokesman for the group added: "There is a great deal of opposition to this from advisory bodies such as English Heritage, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Penzance Town Council, local opposition groups and individuals. There is no certainty that Option A will gain its listed building consent. If it does not, then Route Partnership and Cornwall Council need a back-up plan. More importantly, Penzance needs a back-up plan."

The Friends of Penzance Harbour campaign group has described Option PZ as a "truly superb" solution.

Spokesman John Maggs said: "While they started out trying to develop a fall-back should Option A fail, they have ended up with a scheme far superior in every way. If the Route Partnership had been as focused on the needs of Penzance as they were on the needs of the Isles of Scilly we suspect they would have come up with something similar."

The Friends are currently pressing the Secretary of State to "call in" the Cornwall Council application for listed building consent for Option A and hold a public inquiry.

The chairman of Penzance Chamber of Commerce, Mike Waters, described the Option PZ scheme as "ill conceived".

He added: "It does not remove any of the current road difficulties experienced in the harbour area, unlike the plan that has received an approval.

"However PBN has done something positive in coming up with an alternative plan rather than merely decrying Option A and both I and the chairman of the Penzance and District Tourism Association would welcome a meeting to discuss ways in which we can work together for the benefit of the whole town."

Cornwall Council declined to comment on the latest application.

ARTICLE COPYRIGHT THE CORNISHMAN