Janavi Kramer had just enjoyed a swim with friends and was sitting on a bench taking in a wonderful Cornish view \u2013 headlands plunging into deep water, bobbing boats, a bustling harbour town.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re lucky to have this space,\u201d said Kramer, who is an artist and scientific illustrator<\/a>. \u201cWe use it for work, recreation and pleasure and it\u2019s so scary to think that this could all be harmed. I worry about what we may be living with soon and what we\u2019ll be leaving for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n She is talking about a \u00a3150m plan to redevelop Falmouth Docks in south-west Cornwall<\/a>. It includes expanding the docks to allow larger cruise ships to berth, which many people worry will exacerbate environmental problems and put pressure on the fabric of the town.<\/p>\n A CGI image of the proposed expansion to the docks, with space for much larger cruise ships. Photograph: Balaena<\/p>\n Hannah Cocks, a marine social scientist, who had been taking a dip with Kramer, said she wasn\u2019t opposed to redevelopment of the docks, which have been here for more than 150 years.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I want it to be done in a way that is environmentally and socially just,\u201d she said. \u201cThe community has not been adequately consulted about a decision that could have such adverse effects.<\/p>\n \u201cEven now Cornish infrastructure can\u2019t cope with the number of people who come in the summer. Do we really need these huge cruise ships here?\u201d<\/p>\n The plans also involve dredging around the docks, which some fear could lead to harmful material being churned up from the seabed, such as heavy metals washed into the harbour when Cornwall was a mining superpower and toxic paints once used to protect boat hulls.<\/p>\n Hannah Cocks, a marine social scientist, says she is not against the redevelopment as a whole but wants it to be done in a way that is \u2018environmentally and socially just\u2019. Photograph: Abbie Trayler-Smith\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Fishers and environmentalists are warning that precious habitats could be damaged, including oyster grounds and rare maerl beds<\/a> \u2013 created when rare types of red seaweeds grow into hard, twig-like lumps.<\/p>\n Gio Reale, a wildlife storyteller, said it had been a good summer for spotting marine wildlife. \u201cI normally go out looking for sharks. We have seen small-spotted catsharks and nursehounds, quite a few octopuses and a lot of the usual lobsters and pipefish.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have maerl beds, seagrass meadows, kelp here. It\u2019s a beautiful but fragile ecosystem and I\u2019m concerned it could be really badly harmed.\u201d<\/p>\n