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St Mawes artist wins her battle for lower fence

Christine Butler
BBC News Cornwall
BBC An older lady with grey hair and a red coat points to a white mark she has drawn on a fence post to mark the original height of the fence at 90 cms. BBC
Yvonne Fuller points to a white mark showing the height of the fence before it was raised

An artist has won her battle to get a fence lowered so that villagers can once again enjoy an unobstructed view of the sea.

Yvonne Fuller, of St Mawes on the Roseland peninsula, had fought for more than a year to get the 1.5m (5ft) fence lowered to restore the view of Tavern Beach.

Her campaign, which included photographs and her own original paintings to illustrate her point, has now resulted in the parish council agreeing to reduce the fence to its original 90cms (3ft).

Ms Fuller said: "I cannot understand why they wanted to do anything to spoil the view in this beautiful place and that was the whole point of my argument."

A painting of a fence with vegetation behind it and the sea and countryside beyond
One of Yvonne's paintings of the new, higher fence demonstrating how it obscured the view

Ms Fuller said she created the before and after paintings in order to prove her point to the parish council.

"A year ago I spoke about this matter and I was entirely on my own," she said.

She said her protests led to a site visit in November 2024 but it took several more months before the council agreed the fence could be lowered.

"So I have been on this journey for over a year," she said.

A lady with grey hair is looking through a fence to see the view of the sea beyond.
Artist Ruth Hazlitt described the fence as "hideous"

Fellow artist Ruth Hazlitt, a member of St Mawes Art Group, said the higher fence was "hideous" and "nonsensical".

She said previously there was a clear view of St Anthony's Head, Summers Beach and the open sea and across to Falmouth.

"It's a wonderful spectrum of vision," she said.

Yvonne Fuller A beach scene with the slipway with benches to sit on the left, the beach in front, and a fence on the right. Yvonne Fuller
Happier days: A photograph of the Tavern Beach slipway with the original, lower fence

Councillor Sheelah Goldsmith, from St Just in Roseland Parish Council, said they had agreed to lower the fence in response to local feeling and after checking height regulations.

"We weren't sure about the regulations so the fence was put up and at the first meeting we were really worried about the insurance," she said.

She said a second council meeting it transpired the height of the fence could be lowered.

Ms Goldsmith added: "I'm really pleased, I think the 500 signatures backing the idea of the fence coming down needed to be recognised and also the legalities, that fact that it's perfectly legal to be 3ft (90cms)."

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