Mawnan roundup: Perran Moon’s visit, a vacancy, a warning

An MP came to answer for national politics in a village hall, a parish council seat has gone begging, and there’s a toy on the shelves that looks harmless until you check the label. Here’s what’s been happening around Mawnan this month.

An MP faces questions in the village hall

The local Cornwall Council ward member, Anna Thomason-Kenyon, was on leave when Mawnan Parish Council met on Tuesday 18 August, so Perran Moon MP came along in her place and gave councillors a run-through of what he’s been dealing with.

He touched on the Falmouth Harbour dredging plans, sinkholes opening up elsewhere in his constituency, and the redundancies at Exeter University’s Penryn campus, which he said he’s liaising with the university about.

Housing took up much of the conversation. Councillors called the lack of council and social housing the single biggest issue in the county, and Perran said he’s seeking funding through the devolution deal, similar to the budgets given to elected mayors, to build social housing aimed at younger people and those already local to the area. He also raised the renters’ rights bill, which will stop short-term winter lets on properties normally used as summer AirBnBs, and said Cornwall has the highest concentration of AirBnBs in the country. A registration scheme is planned to bring in more regulation.

Councillors also pushed back on the Neighbourhood Development Plan the parish spent four years drawing up, which has been largely superseded by new housing targets from central government. Perran acknowledged the frustration, and pointed to the new Neighbourhood Priority Statements (more on that below) as a smaller but still worthwhile way to keep shaping what gets built locally.

Other issues raised included the difficulty of getting through to a single point of contact at Highways, which Perran offered to help chase up personally, the abandoned and lived-in boats moored at Tremayne Quay, which he said fall to the Duchy to resolve, and South West Water’s financial troubles, including discussion of models used elsewhere, Germany among them, for moving struggling water companies back towards state control rather than state ownership. He left after the item, and councillors thanked him for his time.

A council seat, and a plan Mawnan residents are being asked to help shape

Councillor Sarah Mason has resigned from the parish council after moving to Devon, leaving a vacancy for anyone in the village who fancies a say in how things are run. Interested residents can call the clerk on 251022, email [email protected], or simply turn up to the meeting on Tuesday 15 September.

There’s a longer job going too. With Cornwall’s housing targets more than doubled, the council is being asked, like every town and parish, to write a Neighbourhood Priority Statement setting out what good development in Mawnan should look like, since the old Neighbourhood Development Plan carries far less weight now. It’s community-led work, roughly 12 to 14 pages, built over the next year with a public consultation along the way, and the parish council wants a handful of residents to join councillors on the working group. Email [email protected] or come along on 15 September to get involved.

Free logs and chippings for parish residents

Tree work at the community burial ground up at Mawnan Church has left a pile of logs stacked against the boundary wall, between the old and new graveyard, plus chippings at the bottom of the field. Anyone living in the parish can help themselves, free of charge. There’s no vehicle access into the field though, so bring a wheelbarrow and park in the car park.

Have your say on the Falmouth dredging

Cornwall Council’s Strategic Planning Committee has yet to set a date to discuss the Falmouth Harbour dredging scheme, an issue councillors describe as complicated enough that a recent public meeting at the Cornish Bank left people standing in the street outside. The planning application and residents’ comments can be viewed on the Cornwall Council planning portal under reference PA25/01598, and the marine licensing side sits on the MMO’s public register under MLA/2025/00157. Background on the wider redevelopment is at falmouthdocksredevelopment.info.

Cornwall Council wants to hear about fly-tipping

Cornwall Council is building a new campaign to tackle fly-tipping and wants input from community groups and residents on where it’s happening, including spots that might be under-reported, the type of waste dumped, and any local initiatives that have actually worked. Anyone with something to share can reply by Wednesday 14 October to [email protected].

A warning over “squishy dumpling” toys

If there’s a squishy, bao-bun-shaped toy in the house, it’s worth a second look. Cornwall Council’s Trading Standards team has issued a warning over the sensory toys, which have become hugely popular with children and young people. Demand has pulled in a rush of manufacturers, and some of the versions on sale in the UK don’t meet the required safety standards.

Parents and carers are being urged to check for a UKCA or CE safety marking before buying one, and to throw away any squishy toy with a strong chemical smell. More detail is on Cornwall Council’s website.

Road closures to know about

Run Mawnan takes place on Sunday 20 September, with a short road closure that morning. Full details are on one.network.

Carlidnack Road will be closed on Friday 23 October between 8am and 4pm. Details are on one.network too.

A wildlife talk and a shore search at Helford

The Helford Marine Conservation Group has a talk in the Mawnan Memorial Hall on Wednesday 16 September, with Jess Haines speaking on the ecology and conservation of nursery habitat used by reef manta rays in the Maldives. More is in the group’s newsletter.

Later in the month, Shoresearch Week 2026 runs from Monday 28 September, 10am to 2.30pm, at Prisk Cove on the Helford. Tickets are through Eventbrite.

A health forum for Falmouth and Penryn patients

Patients registered with Penryn Surgery, Falmouth Health Centre, Trescobeas Surgery or Westover Surgery have a quarterly forum, run by the Falmouth and Penryn Integrated Network Team to boost attendance among registered patients. The next one is at 2.15pm on Wednesday 14 October at Pendennis Community Centre.

Tuesday’s meeting starts at 7pm in the Memorial Hall. The full agenda and last month’s minutes, including Perran Moon’s exchange with councillors in full, are online for anyone who wants more than made the newsletter.

📷The Mawnan Smith village sign. Credit: Mawnan Parish Council