CAMELFORD residents were hit with an almighty blow this week after it was announced that long hoped-for plans for a ‘Camelford Bypass’ were to be scrapped.

It came after the Department for Transport confirmed it will not fund the project despite years of campaigning from local residents, businesses, councillors and MPs.

Roads Minister MP Lilian Greenwood stated in a letter to area MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire that Ministers have decided not to approve Cornwall Council’s Outline Business Case for the bypass scheme.

She clarified that, following detailed assessment of the business case, it was found to “represent poor value for money”.

In 2023 councillors, officers and Scott Mann, the MP for North Cornwall at the time, met with the then Roads Minister, MP Guy Opperman, to discuss the scheme to build a bypass around Camelford.

It was confirmed funds had been provisionally made available for the scheme as part of the Network North announcement in October 2023. This saw funds reallocated from HS2 to infrastructure projects throughout the UK.

Mr Mann hailed the news at the time, saying: “I am pleased that the Camelford Bypass (A39) has been included as one of the schemes which will benefit from an uplift in government contribution from 85 per cent to 100 per cent of their costs at the outline business case (OBC) stage.”

He explained that ‘the increased funding will help ensure the delivery of the scheme’ and that he was ‘very positive about its delivery’.

However, less than two years on, the announcement from the transport minister is in stark contrast.

According to Cornwall Council, significant increases in construction and material costs tripled the original budget of £48-million to more than £146-million, which played a role in the decision to not go ahead with plans.

As a result of the news, residents and local figures have expressed their frustration at the announcement.

In response, the current MP, Mr Maguire said: “This will be a major disappointment to people in Camelford, but at least we finally have an answer. The truth is, this scheme has been stuck in limbo for years, constantly floated as if it's just about to go ahead and then shelved without any clarity.

“We’ve finally got a decision which ends the uncertainty and now we can move forward.”

This sentiment was echoed by the area’s councillor Mark Burnett, who said: “The decision of the government not to fund the Camelford Bypass is obviously very disappointing to the people of Camelford and means that they will have to continue to endure the heavy volume of traffic through the town on an unsuitable road.

“However after years of waiting and being in limbo at least we have a definitive decision. We now all need to work collectively to see if there are any other alternative solutions to relieve the traffic issues within the town because something is desperately needed.

“I am glad to hear that our MP, Ben Maguire, has secured a meeting with the Transport Minister to discuss the situation. I look forward to the outcome of this and to working with him, the residents, the Town Council and Cornwall Council in addressing the problem.

“There seems to be the start of a rejuvenation of Camelford with the possible extension of the Camel Trail, Tesco’s on the horizon, both of which will bring more people to the town. People need a place they can enjoy and experience what the town has to offer. HGV’s streaming through is not conducive to this and a re-routing essential.”

With many now turning their heads to seek an alternative solution, Cornwall Council’s leader, Cllr Leigh Frost, said this was already on his mind following his campaign during the council elections.

During an exclusive interview with the Post back in May, Cllr Frost said that when knocking on doors in the ward, he discovered that residents living on the route of the A39, comprising the town’s main road, were most keen to see the removal of heavy goods vehicle through the town.

As a result, he suggested it might be time to introduce a weight limit through the town in order to achieve the objectives that a bypass would have led to.

A suggestion that Cllr Frost said was “worth considering” was one which would involve the introduction of a weight restriction through the town with heavy goods vehicles being diverted from the town via the existing road at Slaughtersbridge.

When asked about the future of the Camelford Bypass and his own take on the situation, Cllr Frost said: “I went out in Camelford and knocked on a lot of doors, especially on the main road and not many of them had much to say about the bypass.

“I think what they actually said was that they would like to see a weight limit through the town centre and perhaps use the Slaughtersbridge road as a way of pushing out the heavier vehicles because they’re the ones that do the most damage, they’re the ones that cause the problem and that is actually what came up on the doorstep over and over again when I was speaking to residents in Camelford.

“Actually, if that’s an approach, then instead of waiting for a bypass that so far has never come, we could actually as a council do things to make their lives better and to help support them in their ambitions to have a cleaner thoroughfare that may not need to spend all that money on a bypass that would be complicated and difficult.

“We’ve seen it before. We’ve had funding ready to go, we’ve had business plan after business plan and maybe, actually, there’s a cleverer way of doing things to get the benefits that a bypass would have brought.”

Following the announcement that funding will not be provided, the council has said it will be working with the community to find a solution.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for transport, Cllr Dan Rogerson has assured residents that he and the council will continue to work towards tackling issues which were raised during the public consultation.

He said: “At the very least this decision ends four years of uncertainty and, while I can appreciate the local community may feel disappointed by the news, I want to reassure residents that we will continue to work towards tackling the issues they raised during the 2020 public consultations.”

Mr Maguire added: “I’ve already started working with local councillors and community leaders to explore viable alternatives. This is definitely not the end of tackling Camelford’s traffic issues.

“With the bypass off the table, we now need serious investment in practical transport improvements. No more empty promises or indefinite delays.”

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