Camborne Town Deal exhibition protest: what are plans for town
A protest by some residents against the proposals took place outside a public exhibition on Monday.
Concerns were raised last week that a public display of changes to the road layout in the town centre was only announced by Cornwall Council a couple of days before the event was held for Camborne’s businesses community last Wednesday (April 19).
A resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: “Two days notice of a consultation that is going to be detrimental to the town is a joke.”
Samantha Hussey agreed: “Are they having a laugh? Why do they consistently pull this trick of giving us short notice for such important consultations?”
A second display for members of the public[1] took place between 2pm and 7pm on Monday in the town’s Wesley Methodist Chapel. Many of those present said they had only heard about the ability to view and comment on the proposals by chance.
Leaflets that were due to be delivered to homes in the Camborne area telling them about the two meetings had been “mislaid”, one of the consultants told residents.
There have been concerns aired among Camborne residents that the proposals would see the town centre pedestrianised with the removal of on-street parking, which some believe could kill trade. However, consultants working on behalf of Cornwall Council said this was a misconception.
Ralph Elcox, who has worked as a window cleaner in the town for 52 years, held a sign outside the chapel, which read: “If you want Commercial Street and Trelowarren Street to remain as they are at present with shops and parking please reject the stupid proposals. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Ralph Elcox protested against the proposals to change the road network in the centre of Camborne
Following a council survey in November, Mr Elcox said he questioned businesses in both streets about the proposals and 77 were against, with only one in favour.
The Camborne Renew and Life Cycle projects are two infrastructure schemes aiming to make improvements to the town centre to support “its future vitality and sustainability”. The well attended public consultation on Monday displayed a series of plans and designs illustrating the proposals, which include:
– Proposed no entry from Fore Street onto Trelowarren Street and Trelowarren Street onto Roskear Road, no right turn from Trelowarren Street into Union Street, proposed one-way on New Connexion Street and signing for through traffic to use Basset Road and the B3303.
– Allowing traffic to continue to be permitted to drive through the high street (Trelowarren Street)
– Over 630 linear metres of parking in central Camborne to be upgraded to one-hour parking
– Some disabled spaces are proposed in Trelowarren Street to allow access to shops
– The top end of Trelowarren Street from Adelaide Street upwards will all be one-hour parking bays
– Extension of Commercial Square
The proposals state: “The scheme is not a pedestrianisation of the high street. However, it aims to better the provision and priority for pedestrians crossing the high street and adjacent side roads. The scheme aims to address unsightly entry points to the town centre through introduction of green infrastructure.”
The idea is to remove traffic using the main street as a rat-run allowing more crossing points and flexible use for events such as Trevithick Day, said a representative from consultants Mace Ward Williams Joint Venture (MWJV).
Residents of Camborne inspect proposals to change the infrastructure of the town
Kieren Couch, project manager for MWJV who’s from the town, said: “This is Camborne’s money so we want to know how the people of Camborne want to spend it. This is an opening gambit for discussion. There’s been some misconception about pedestrianisation and the loss of parking. The intention is to make Camborne a healthier and more engaging place to live and visit.”
A number of locals at the meeting pointed out that lorries delivering to businesses based in the centre of town would have to load and unload at either end of the town under the new proposals, which they believed could lead to problems.
A resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: “We now only have half a car park and the prices are going up so the half-hour free parking in the street is invaluable. Having seen many other towns with restricted access for cars it is clear that they struggle to get people into the shops.
“Camborne is a working town, not a holiday resort, we need to make it as accessible as possible for local and not so local people. We do not need a cafe culture, we need a working street of useful shops for locals to use. If it isn’t broken, it doesn’t need to be fixed. We have a great selection of local shops in Camborne. If they don’t get the footfall, they will be forced to close, losing the great independent shops we have would be a disaster for Camborne.”
Shelley Tasker was demonstrating alongside Mr Elcox. Carrying signs saying “Let Camborne decide what to spend 2.3 million on” and “To do nothing is to consent, sign the form, scan the code, say no”, she added: “Nobody was told about this meeting. This is the start of 15-minute cities.”
References
- ^ second display for members of the public (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)