Latest plans for improvements to Malakoff open space published for consultation

The latest plans for improvements to the Malakoff open space area in St Ives have been published for statutory consultation.

The scheme is being funded by the St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy which aims to reduce the impact of vehicles on St Ives and introduce measures that encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport. It is being delivered by Cornwall Council in partnership with the St Ives Town Deal Board.

The Malakoff scheme is due to be implemented in two phases:

• Phase 1: introduction of a new bus layby and amended footpath.

• Phase 2: provision of a new Bus shelter, seating, paving and landscaping to enhance the existing location.

The statutory consultation, which is being led by Cormac in partnership with the St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy project team, is focusing on the first phase of the scheme which involves changes to the road network. Feedback will be used to inform the final design for the first phase.

Details of the Phase 1 plans, including maps and drawings, are available to view on the transport consultation section on Cornwall Council’s website.

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Economy, said: “It’s good to see another phase of the St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy progressing. The strategy has attracted strong engagement over the past couple of years and I urge local people and businesses to keep feeding back your thoughts and priorities, we are listening.”

To take part in the three week 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.

Subject to the results of the consultation, work on implementing the first phase is currently scheduled to begin in March 2025.

Information about the consultation, and the wider St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy, is also available on the Let’s Talk Cornwall site and the St Ives Town Deal website.

Work on the remaining elements of the scheme, which are located within private land and do not require further statutory consultation, are currently scheduled to take place begin in April 2025. These include the improvements to the Gardens and additional seating areas.

Details of the second phase, including artists’ impressions of the changes to the Gardens, will be published on the Let’s Talk and Town Deal websites ahead of the start of construction.

Work is progressing well on developing other schemes within the Low Carbon Transport Strategy.

Following the completion of the Terrace scheme at the beginning of January, work is currently taking place to improve Consols junction. This is due to be completed by the end of March. Work is also continuing to develop the schemes at Halsetown, Higher Stennack, and Tempest.

Plans are being finalised to the scheme to improve the management of traffic at Tregenna Hill and Library Corner. The current plans are to trial a one-way traffic system, enabling bus and emergency services (including lifeboat crews) to drive down Tregenna Hill from The Terrace, using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process. The proposed scheme, which is due to be introduced in June, will use signs rather than traffic lights to control access. It will also allow engineers to assess the impact of different traffic flows around the town.

The Low Carbon Transport Strategy has received £3 million from the government’s Town Deal programme and £2.5 million from Cornwall Council. St Ives Town Deal Board, in partnership with Cornwall Council, successfully bid for a Town Deal worth £19.9 million to support a range of projects that will contribute to the town’s regeneration and boost the local economy.

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Notes to editors

About the UK Government Town Deals programme

The Town Deals programme aims to regenerate towns and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth. This is through investments in urban regeneration, digital and physical connectivity, skills, heritage and enterprise infrastructure. As of July 2021, DLUHC (now MHCLG) had offered Town Deals to all 101 places that submitted proposals, committing over £2.35bn of investment across c.700 projects nationwide. See the press releases associated with Town Deals on gov.uk.

Cornwall is the only area invited by the government to submit proposals for four of its towns: Camborne, Penzance, St Ives and Truro. After conducting extensive public consultations, each Town Deal Board submitted their Town Investment Plan in collaboration with Cornwall Council.

As a result, the government announced in spring 2021, that Cornwall will receive up to £88.7 million from the Town Deal programme. Cornwall Council is the lead authority for the Town Deals in Cornwall. Cornwall Council supports the governance role of St Ives Town Deal Board and is responsible for administering the fund on behalf of the board. For more information visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/business-trading-and-licences/economicdevelopment/towns-fund

About St Ives Town Deal

In June 2021, St Ives secured a Town Deal of up to £19.9 million following the successful submission of its Town Investment Plan for a range of regeneration projects. For more information about St Ives Town Deal visit www.stivestowndeal.org.uk