Newlyn town centre transport project

Proposals aimed at making Newlyn safer for pedestrians and cyclists and improve public spaces within the town have been amended by Cornwall Council following consultation with local residents and businesses.

Details of the original £200,000 scheme, which included new footways and crossing points to help Newlyn become more pedestrian and cycle friendly, together with proposals to close the Old Bridge, part of the National Cycle Network, to vehicles and amend existing parking arrangements, were shared with the local community as part of a statutory consultation held in October and November 2024. There was also a public exhibition at The Centre on 1 December.

Whilst the principle of providing new crossings received general support from the majority of the 94 respondents, some raised concerns over the designs. Concerns were also raised over some of the proposed changes to parking in the town, and the plans for Old Bridge.

“We received a high number of responses to the consultation and would like to thank everyone who took part “ said project manager Adam O’Neill. “We have listened carefully to all the comments and concerns raised by the residents and businesses objecting to specific proposals, as well as to the views of those supporting the scheme, and, as a result, have made a number of changes to the original designs”.

One of the key areas of concern identified during the consultation was the proposal to prohibit all vehicles, from driving over Old Bridge to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. generally. This was due to the potential for congestion on New Road, due to the single access. There were also wider concerns regarding the loss of parking.

While it is not expected that traffic flows will be adversely affected due to the proposals, as the general trend shows the majority of drivers entering Newlyn via New Road and not The Old Bridge, it has been agreed to carry out a trial closure of the bridge using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process. The use of the ETRO will enable the impact of the closure on the access onto New Road to be fully assessed and any other concerns investigated before any permanent decision is made. The extent of the closure will also be reduced to enable three parking spaces to continue to be provided on the Tolcarne Terrace side.

A shared area for both pedestrians and cyclists will be provided over Old Bridge, with planters and cycle parks provided to help promote active travel and create a more welcoming environment for pedestrian and cyclist.

Changes have also been made to the parking proposals following concerns over the proposed waiting restrictions, reduction in parking spaces and limited time between 9am-7pm for the remaining spaces.

The amended proposal (which will be subject to consultation) means that limited time restrictions will now be in place between 8 am and 6pm, allowing residents to park more freely in the evenings. All parking spaces will be 1 hour duration with no return within 3 hours. It has been agreed that enforcement of any existing or new restrictions should be carried out, with Cornwall Council requested to do so as far as reasonably possible.

Cyle parking will be provided on the Old Bridge and plans are also being considered to relocate the existing Beryl Bike parking from Tolcarne car park to this location, enabling the addition of one or two parking spaces in the car park. Subject to further consultation, parking on the Strand may also be adjusted, with an additional space installed at either end of the existing long parking bay.

As there was general support for the proposals for footways and crossings and some of the other measures from the majority of respondents, these plans remain largely the same, with minor changes to some of the designs.

• Footway/uncontrolled crossing on The Coombe – the footway and uncontrolled crossing will be installed as proposed, however the coloured anti skid surfacing will be removed from the scheme.

• Chywoone Hill tabletop – the scheme will be installed as proposed, with the whole of the top constructed from a contrasting surface to the road to avoid confusion and highlight its presence more effectively to drivers.

• Car park tabletop – this will be removed from the scheme while retaining the dropped kerbs and tactile paving to make it easier to cross between the car park and Newlyn gallery.

• Crossing between car park and chemist at the junction of Jack Lane and The Strand – the crossing will remain in its current position, with the bin moved closer to the streetlight to provide more space for the crossing. An additional dropped kerb will be installed outside the chemist to allow pedestrians to cross to the gap in the car park wall more easily.

• Swordfish layby – add a buildout at the end of the parking bay, similar to the one being implemented by the Star Inn, to help keep traffic moving.

• Finger post and footway improvements by Old Bridge – retain proposed scheme .

• Improve cyclist directional signage – signage similar to the Bay to Bay signage at Long Rock will be provided as part of the scheme, with any missing signage for route markers also reinstated. Other signage for pedestrians and cyclists will be designed and positioned as clearly as possible, and provided as a necessity, as to not lead to sign clutter.

• Lining – refresh lining on The Strand between the Star Inn and The Coombe where applicable

All other measures included in the original drawings will be retained as originally proposed.

Further discussions are due to take place with key stakeholders over the question of bin storage, which can’t be resolved through the current funding available.

Other points raised during the consultation included the importance of using locally sourced materials and materials such as granite which reflect the character of the town when carrying out the works. This had already been taken into account during the preliminary design phase, but the project team are committed to reviewing it again during the detailed design phase in relation to the proposed changes.

Next steps include developing and confirming details of the trial for the Old Bridge, together with a timeline for the start of work on other elements of the scheme. This will include developing detailed final designs and carrying out some further consultation on the additional elements. Work is expected to be completed by end of 2025.

Thalia Marrington, Cornwall Council local member for Mousehole, Newlyn and St Buryan, said: There was much feedback and interest in this scheme from residents and I'd like to thank people for giving their time to offer views and comments. It is nice to see democracy working in practice and I believe these designs show listening and adaptability on the part of Council Highways team, whilst maintaining the ambitions of the scheme.

“The Council has done its best to mitigate the loss of parking spaces (which was a concern raised during the consultation) with the very small amount of land it is responsible for in Newlyn Centre. But I believe that overall, Newlyn will be easier and nicer to navigate for pedestrians and cyclists and that public realm will be improved leading to a more pleasant shopper experience too. Rationalising and simplifying the current mishmash of parking restrictions helps both local people with improvements to overnight parking and both businesses and shoppers in Newlyn. '

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Plans to make Newlyn safer for pedestrians and cyclists and improve public spaces within the town are progressing, with the latest designs due to be shared with residents and businesses at a public exhibition on Friday 1 November.

The drop-in exhibition will take place at The Centre, Chywoone Hill in Newlyn between 1pm and 7pm.

Originally developed as part of the Penzance Sustainable Travel Network project, the £200,000 proposed scheme for Newlyn Town Centre is now being funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.

The proposed scheme, which has been developed following consultation with the local community, focuses on safety and will include new footways and crossing points to help Newlyn become more pedestrian and cycle friendly. Other measures include closing the Old Bridge, part of the National Cycle Network, to vehicles, and amending existing parking arrangements.

You can view a short film about the scheme here:

The public exhibition forms part of a three-week statutory consultation into the proposals. This will run from Thursday October 17 and is being led by Cormac in partnership with the Newlyn Town Centre project team. Feedback from the consultation will be used to inform the final designs for the scheme.

To view details of the proposals, including maps and drawings, and to take part in the consultation please visit the transport consultation section on Cornwall Council’s website : www.cornwall.gov.uk/TrafficConsult. Responses can also be provided via email at traffic@cormacltd.co.uk.

Martin Worth, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for customers, said: “This is an important scheme for Newlyn and we want to hear the views from the local community on all the measures which are being proposed.

“The results of the consultation will help shape the final designs for the scheme – we won’t be introducing measures which are not supported locally.

“I’m pleased we have been able to secure Shared Prosperity Fund for this project. The fund is about supporting projects to help improve life for our residents – and the positive links between walking and cycling and health and wellbeing are clear.”

Thalia Marrington, Cornwall Council local member for Mousehole, Newlyn and St Buryan, said: “We know that Newlyn is often very busy and congested, particularly in the summer months, making it difficult for local people and visitors to walk about safely. As well as cars, we also have lorries travelling to and from the harbour and fish market.

“We want to make the centre of Newlyn work for everyone, whether we’re shopping, cycling or driving through the town. We want people to be able to walk about more easily between shops and businesses, and to be able to access the GP surgery and the local school safely. If we can help improve traffic flow by addressing some of the haphazard parking that currently happens that will be a bonus.

“The measures which are being proposed are designed to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to get about. Providing designated crossing points and footways will improve the flow of traffic through the town, reduce congestion and the potential conflict with pedestrians. By making the village centre more attractive to stay in, the scheme will also help to regenerate the local economy by improving shop front visibility and increasing footfall.

“We recognise that there have been some concerns over the loss of parking spaces. Addressing these concerns will require us to balance different priorities and work out what we want to achieve. We really do want to hear the views of the local community on during the consultation and I would encourage everyone if they can to come along to the public exhibition.”

Once the final scheme has been agreed construction is due to take place during 2025.

The Newlyn Town Centre project is part of a series of active travel projects to gain funding from the Good Growth Programme to support improvements to walking and cycling routes throughout Cornwall. In total, the Good Growth Programme has awarded £2.8m to deliver these projects – find out more at https://ciosgoodgrowth.com/project/active-travel/

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Notes to editors

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperityfund-prospectus. 

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth programme 

 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly have been allocated £137m for local investment through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. With a focus on green and inclusive growth, we’ll use our portion to achieve Good Growth for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, providing opportunities for communities and businesses and giving residents access to new jobs and training. For more information, visit https://ciosgoodgrowth.com