ABOUT ST IVES TOWN DEAL LOW CARBON TRANSPORT STRATEGY
The St Ives Low Carbon Transport 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.
One of the nine Town Deal projects being funded and delivered as part of the St Ives Town Deal programme, the aim of the Low Carbon Transport Strategy is to help reduce the impact of vehicles on St Ives and introduce measures that encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport.
These include proposals aimed at reducing traffic congestion and parking demand in the town centre, enhancing public transport options and accessibility, improving air quality and health outcomes for residents and visitors and supporting local businesses by creating a more attractive and vibrant town.
You can view details of the original draft Strategy here
You can view a short video about the Strategy
LATEST PROJECT NEWS
Update on St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy – April 2026
Following the successful completion of the Terrace scheme and improvements to Consols (Zennor) junction and Halsetown in 2025, road safety audits were carried out at both Consols and Halsetown.
The first phase of the Malakoff open space scheme was also successfully completed during 2025, with work now taking place to deliver the second phase .
The work at Malakoff includes the construction of a new bespoke bus shelter, together with new granite paving, bespoke granite planters and benches, new street furniture, a new millwheel feature and lighting. The second phase is due to be finished before the Summer.
Once these works have been completed, the iconic Epidauros II Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture, currently on display at a temporary home at the Penwith Gallery, will be returned and both the footway and the carriageway will be resurfaced.
You can find out more about the Malakoff scheme here
Works to provide new signs and landscaping around Tempest Roundabout near Lelant began in January 2026. While the impact of the storms created some delays, the scheme is due to be completed within the next few weeks.
The designs for Higher Stennack, Stennack, Royal Square and the Low Travel Environment are well developed, however some aspects need to await the results of the ETRO before being finalised.
Due to the seasonal restrictions on roadworks in St Ives, Cornwall Council with CORMAC are currently considering the priority with a focus likely around Royal Square and Tregenna Place for Autumn 2026.
Changes to road layout at Tregenna Hill and Park Avenue
The trial of the new road layout was introduced in November 2025.
The changes mean that only buses, cyclists and emergency services (including lifeboat crews on active duty) are permitted to drive northbound down Tregenna Hill from The Terrace. All traffic can still drive southbound up Tregenna Hill.
The aim of the new layout, which has been implemented via an ‘Experimental Traffic Regulation Order’ (ETRO), is to improve general traffic flow resulting in a safer space for all users in and around Library Corner.
The general removal of northbound traffic down Tregenna Hill is helping to reduce delays, impact and congestion created by vehicles having to navigate past each other in a highly constrained space. The changes have also made it easier for buses, lorries and other large vehicles to get around the narrow points and corners along the route.
Other measures introduced as part of this trial include making Albert Road one-way inbound, improving the flow of traffic and reducing traffic congestion and delays, introducing an entry restriction on the western end of Dove Street and a mandatory left turn at Street-an-pol. There is also no right turn at the bottom of Bedford Road.
The direction of the existing one-way at Park Avenue has also been reversed, allowing inbound traffic only towards Bullans Lane and the Doctors surgery. This is helping to keep traffic moving along this route, reducing the numbers of queuing stationary vehicles.
New signs were installed at key roads and junctions informing drivers of the changes and new restrictions and providing details of alternative routes into and out of St Ives.
The ETRO has been developed by Cornwall Council in partnership with St Ives Town Deal Board, with technical expertise provided by Cormac.
Engagement with key stakeholders, including St Ives Town Council, transport operators and providers and emergency services, influenced the development of the new road layout which is now being trialled.
The use of an ETRO means that Cornwall Council as Highways Authority can make modifications throughout the trial period, responding agilely to specific issues or concerns that are observed. Since the introduction of the trial concerns from the public over signage and illegally parked cars have been addressed with additional signs and road markings and enforcement action where appropriate.
The project team will be monitoring the highway network during the Easter period to identify any further issues which need to be addressed ahead of the summer period.
The trial will continue until at least November 2026 but could be extended for up to a further six months before a final decision is made.
A specific Tregenna Hill ETRO webpage has been set up on Let’s Talk Cornwall to provide information about the trial and enable people to raise feedback throughout the trial period.
You can find out more about the ETRO trial here : https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/st-ives-town-deal-etro
You can view a short film about how the trial has been working here https://youtu.be/uqUKzLMBSWM
Car Parks
The prioritisation of the ETRO scheme has altered the original programme, moving any plans for change to the town’s car parks to at least April 2027. The amended proposals for the car parks are expected to be shared with existing permit holders later this year.
Why is the Low Carbon Transport Strategy needed
The resident population of around 11,000 in St Ives increases dramatically during the summer months when more than 500,000 day visitors and 220,000 staying tourists visit the town. Currently many opt to travel into the town by car, leading to significant congestion in the narrow streets around the town centre and harbour area.
With a combination of inadequate signage and mid guided Sat Nav directions, unsafe streets caused by poor or non-existent footpaths and buses, HGV and other vehicles mounting pavements, ad hoc parking causing bottle necks, insufficient parking for residents and a lack of facilities for walking and cycling resulting in conflict and confusion within the town centre and it is clear that action needs to be taken to improve the transport infrastructure in the town.
Allocated £5.5 million of Town Deal funding, the aim of the transport project is to create a Low-Traffic Environment (LTE) in the historic core of St Ives by:
The Strategy focuses on the following key areas:
Wider strategy – aimed at reducing congestion and promoting eco-friendly transport options, the proposals include providing park and ride services outside of the town or attraction to encourage visitors and commuters to continue their journey by bus, rail, or other modes of active travel such as walking or cycling. With St Erth park and ride now at full capacity, this includes developing additional park and ride facilities at Halsetown and Splattenridden, improving navigation and signage at the Lelant Road junction to reroute traffic, enhancing parking signs and signals to direct drivers to car parks and public transport options and improving rail, bus, cycle and walling networks and gateways.
Town wide strategy – the historic town centre was not designed to accommodate the current volume of people or traffic. This currently leads to significant congestion, particularly in the peak summer months or when deliveries are loaded or unloaded. Proposals are aimed at reducing the amount of traffic going into the town centre to park by improving signage to direct people to the right locations and car parks, as well as providing more cost effective parking for long stay visitors in car parks on the edge of the town. Other proposals include providing non motorised transport options, such as bike, e-bike and shuttle bus links, adjusting bus routes, and improving walking routes and footpaths.
Town Centre and Low Traffic Environment strategy – the proposed changes in the town centre aim to reduce traffic congestion and enhance public spaces. The plan includes removing ‘honey pot’ island parking, and converting it to permit-only to reduce traffic and redefining vehicular routes to alleviate congestion, especially around Library Corner where a one-way traffic system will be introduced around the Corner and up Tregenna Hill to streamline traffic flow, facilitate better movement, and allow for the expansion of footways, thereby improving the overall pedestrian experience in the area.
Short stay car parks in the town centre will be subject to shorter, more expensive tariffs, with some on street parking for short stay, disabled visitors, residents, and loading and unloading (with the use of permits and charging where required).
The team are also looking into the use of alternative methods to discourage people without legitimate reasons from driving into the town centre during certain periods.
Some specific changes have been identified for the Higher Stennack, the Terrace and the Malakoff areas. These include removing mini roundabouts and reconfiguring junctions, updating and providing new pedestrian crossings and bus shelters; reducing the size of the carriageway and expanding footway areas, providing new facilities for secure cycling parking and bike hire, reallocating road space to prioritize non motorised users, improving signage and redirecting traffic away from the town centre and beachfront. .