It had it all – emotion, drama, a heartfelt plea from a 10-year-old boy; even a song.
More than 100 Penryn residents filled Temperance Hall last night to voice their opinions over the decision to prioritise College Farm over a second green field site.
The three-hour public meeting was about plans to build 220 houses on the green field site in Glasney Valley.
There were raised voices, jeers and cheers; rhetoric and rallying language, as well as rapturous applause and foot stamping.
It was like a cross between Question Time, a protest rally and an impromptu folk night.
There were threats from the chairwoman to disband the meeting and remove people from the hall – she even used her gavel at one point.
Councillor Gill Grant did a good job of keeping order and keeping to the schedule of 20 registered questions.
But many ignored the strict rules. There were so many interruptions that it was all Gill could do to not shout "order".
The length of the meeting couldn't be helped. There was a lot to say – and even more to learn.
You couldn't say it was a civilised affair.
There were calls for councillors to "resign if you can't represent us" and one of the Cornwall Council officers was told she was "whittling on" while answering a question. Needless to say she took it as an insult.
It was not a good day to be a town councillor or planning officer.
Although Cornwall Council's Matthew Brown defended his corner well, as pretty much the only person in the room who had all the answers.
The strength of emotion from residents and councillors alike was heartwarming.
One of the best questions of the night was from 10-year-old Louis Ratcliffe, who made a heartfelt plea to save the green space in the valley: "How are you going to make sure the young people are safe, active and healthy without having to go further afield?"
The singer-songwriter Martha Tilston sang her question, with the poignant lyrics: "Is the deal already done?/How will you tell this story to your grandchildren?" as she walked down the aisle approaching the panel.
"Will you take them by the hand and walk them through the valley and tell them you did everything in your heart?"
Another resident told deputy mayor and planning committee chairman Mark Snowdon: "You should be more passionate, mate," as he talked about trying to separate emotion from planning.
"I'll show you passion," he said. "I've spent 16 years of my life doing this, for free."
He was not alone in his defence of his job.
Councillors Ted Wilks said the councillors wanted the best for Penryn, while Cornwall councillor and town councillor Mary May told of "sleepless nights" since the decision on January 5 was taken to approve the priority.
This was the biggest public meeting in Penryn since the protest over the Strawberry Fields development.
They had come to find answers to the question: "How did you allow this to happen? Why weren't we consulted? And what can we do about it now?
There were the gainsayers, the intellectuals, and the long-term residents, like the 71-year-old who had lived in Penryn all his life, who said: "They've taken enough land from us. We don't want the houses built in our valley. Build 'em somewhere else."
They attacked Penryn town councillors and rounded on Cornwall council planners, who passed the buck up the line to central Government.
There was anger and frustration as everyone fought to understand the planning system and, perhaps, to come to terms with the inevitable.
Read a full analysis of the meeting in next week's West Briton.
