The report outlining the findings of the public engagement carried out into the St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy is now available to view.
The Strategy is being funded and delivered as part of the St Ives Town Deal programme to help reduce the impact of vehicles on St Ives and introduce measures that encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport.
The project has been allocated £5.5 million of Town Deal funding to create a Low Transport Environment (LTE) within the town centre by reducing traffic, enhancing safety, increasing accessibility, improving environmental health and delivering community and economic benefits. This funding needs to be spent by March 2026. Longer term measures will need to be funded from other sources.
Members of the public were asked for their views on the draft proposals via a comprehensive consultation programme, including an online survey and a public exhibition in the town’s library, held between 27 November 2023 and 20 January 2024. Over 450 people took part in consultation.
The majority of those responding via the survey (69.9%) said that the environment in the town centre needed changing and improving, with most supporting the principles of improving walking and cycling facilities, reducing level of traffic and improving public transport.
Key findings included:
- There is support for improving pedestrian areas including crossings and wider footways.
- There is support for reprioritising junction layout.
- There is support for reducing overall traffic flows.
- There were suggestions of expanding the park & ride for visitor parking. This is beyond the scope of the St Ives town deal but could be considered by Cornwall Council or other stakeholders as a future scheme.
- There was a general call for better enforcement of permit parking and parking on double yellow lines.
- There were suggestions that live parking signs should be implemented to show remaining parking spaces within the town.
However, while there was overall support for the aims of the Strategy, there were different views on how this should be achieved :
- There were 51 concerns/objections raised regarding both the rising bollards and associated traffic restrictions for access to properties and businesses as well as regarding emergency services access.
- 15 individual comments had concerns around routing traffic through Halestown with regards to lack of footways and safety.
- There were 18 comments concerning access for locals to Downalong.
- There were 10 objections to the parking restrictions on Barnoon.
- There is objection to the implementing of one-way systems, making the town difficult to access.
You can view a copy of the report here
You can read a press release about the findings of the report here
The project team have spent the past two months analysing all the responses from the consultation. They have also listened to comments and concerns subsequently raised by individuals and community groups living and working in areas which could be affected by specific proposals.
As a result of the concerns over the suggestion to introduce measures such as rising bollards and barriers to restrict access to the town centre as part of the plans to create the Low Traffic Environment, the project team are looking into the use of alternative methods to discourage people without legitimate reasons from driving into the town centre during these periods.
As plans to improve the junctions at the Terrace, Stennack and Higher Stennack, and Malakoff, received a largely positive response from the majority of respondents, work is continuing to develop these schemes.
The project team have also been listening to the concerns raised by people living in areas outside the town, such as Halsetown, who are worried about the redirection of more holiday and day visitor traffic into St Ives along the coach road and the current lack of footways. Further work is being carried out to assess the level of traffic which could be created by the proposal, together with the development of measures to mitigate the potential impact from this.
Further work is also being carried out on the draft proposal to introduce a one way system around Library Corner and up Tregenna Hill and the reversing of the existing one-way restriction on Park Avenue.
A report outlining the amended plans for the Mid Town Centre and Low Traffic Environment and One way system is currently due to be considered by members of St Ives Town Board at its meeting in May.
Following the meeting details will be published on the Let’s Talk Cornwall site and the St Ives Town Deal website site, with plans also being developed for a exhibition at the town’s library which will provide information about the Strategy and the timetable for delivering the different elements.