Residents' Parking Survey Update

Cornwall Council plan to analyse the results of their recent survey on parking and report to Council's Transport Portfolio Advisory Committee (PAC) in May.

They say a draft parking policy will then be considered by the PAC in July.

Recommendations will then go to the Cabinet in September.

Members of the public may ask questions at the beginning of each of these meetings. Procedures for doing so are on Cornwall Council website.

Nearly 6000 responses were received from accross Cornwall.

Cornwall Council find £600,000

We know about the £60,000 'bus lane' but what about £600,000 recently found 'left over' by the Council, which communities are now being invited to bid for new projects?  

Management time at the Council will be found, in addition, to administer the bidding process for new money.

Lovely to have new money for new projects. But how can the Council explain it in a year in which it intends to dump the libraries on the parish councils, walk away from its leisure centres (apart from Penzance, where it cannot, as it is funded by PFI) and cut to nil its budget for public toilets?

The most annoying aspect is that the applications for money that members were invited to make (by February 2014) for their priorities for highway  problems in their divisions have all been rejected.

Is this the Council's version of localism in action; reject what local people want and ask them to bid for money for something completely different?

Why so slow: the Stadiums and other applications to the west of Truro

When the large applications for the west side of Truro were granted last year, the Head of Planning was given three months to negotiate the 'planning gain' (Section 106) agreements. There has been an understandable delay due to the need to refer the applications to the Secretary of State.

But in all cases that process ended 3 months or more ago. Under pressure from another developer (miffed having submitted the only retail application turned down for the corridor) , officers took the applications back to the Strategic Planning Committee to get an extension of time.

They blamed the Government, as Cornwall Council are wont to do. But the new rules complained off, by the Council's own admission, came in last April, so not that new.

The Council also said that the Section 106 agreements were now concluded but, bizarrely, they asked for an indefinite extension of time to complete the agreements. And for future occasions they said they would draft reports for the Committee so that they could take as long as they wanted and not come back to Committee.The Committee granted them a 6 month extension.

So, in summary, the Council claimed that 3 months was adequate but when it came to it, needed at least an extra 6 months.

This looks incompetent.

But the Chairman did not allow me to speak. I have been asked what can anyone do.  I can only suggest that you get in touch with Cllr Nolan, the Chairman of the Committee or take the Council's decision to judicial review.


Reply to comment below:

Try the Cornwall Council planning application comment link. Search for "Langarth". On the right hand side you can enlarge a map of the area until you see the areas surrounded by red (lots of it!). Filter on 5 years and zoom in to a specific area. Double click and it should bring a pop-up of all the relevant applications in the last 5 years.

It should look something like this:

Malabar Bus Timetable

Bus timetable information is available from the following sources.

The timetable can be downloaded here for the 47 BUS

Information is available at

the First Kernow website at http://www.firstkernow.co.uk or telephone 01872 305950

at the Traveline website of http://www.travelinesw.com or telephone 0871 200 22 33

or the Cornwall Council webpage of www.cornwallpublictransport.info or telephone the Passenger Transport Unit on 0300 1234 222.

Plus of course, the timetables have been attached to local bus stops. 

Cornwall Parking Problems

Cornwall Council are now formally consulting on parking problems.  This survey has now started and I understand local residents will all get a letter explaining how to respond to the survey.  This is what the council say.

"This questionnaire focuses on parking in a number of locations across Cornwall. You should only complete it if you ever park in at least one of the following town/city centres:

• Bude • Falmouth and Penryn  • Newquay • Penzance/Newlyn  • St Ives • Truro

• Wadebridge

We would like to understand the views about on-street parking and parking conditions of people who do not live in these towns but visit them (either for leisure or work). Please read each question carefully and select the relevant box or write your answer in the space provided.
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff will be collating and analysing the survey responses on behalf of Cornwall Council. Your responses will remain confidential - please see the Fair Processing Notice, about how the information we collect will be used, at the end of the survey.
Please complete one questionnaire per household, by midnight 28 February 2016."

However, if residents would like to complete the survey online it can be completed from here:

RESIDENTS                             BUSINESS                               NON-RESIDENTS

The end of BT Cornwall

BT Cornwall have lost the court case to retain their contract with Cornwall Council and the parting of the ways will now commence.

It is disappointing that Cornwall Council and BT have failed to make the BT Cornwall partnership work.

The main reasons for creating the partnership were to facilitate the integration of IT departments with the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT Treliske) and to provide the capacity  to handle a number of large IT projects (such as the conversion to Windows 7).    The provision of Telehealth and Telecare services in Cornwall were also a big part of the deal as was the expectant creation of significant numbers of jobs.

The alternative considered (and rejected) was to bring in external consultants at a multi million pound cost to assist the Council with these projects.

RCHT pulled out of the BT deal at the last minute and this decision now gives the Council and RCHT the opportunity to consider their options afresh.    It will be an essential component of the business case currently being written to integrate health and adult social care.

We have been urging the Council to prepare a Plan B for life after BT but we have seen no evidence of this so far.

The resultant return of staff to Cornwall Council and the unravelling of the partnership will result in significant cost which are unlikely to be fully recovered from BT Cornwall.   That burden will again fall on the Cornish taxpayer.

Another bus lane fiasco in Truro?

As a councillor who expressed concern years ago about the (then proposed) Tregolls bus lane, I would like to flag another part of the so called Truro Sustainable Transport Strategy that is causing me concern.

As recently as 2008 the junction with Newbridge Lane on the A390 into Truro was made into a 'semi roundabout' in a deliberate attempt to deprioritise traffic exiting from Newbridge Lane - and so keep the traffic on A390 running.  A bus lane was also created through this junction.

After many draft plans it is now proposed to scrap the scheme, which cost several hundred thousands pounds.   Instead the junction will have traffic lights and the end of Penwerris Road, which was closed off, will be reopened for traffic exiting Malabar.    This is to reprioritise Newbridge Lane and allow it to cope with additional development on the Dudman Estate (which goes to Strategic Planning Committee on 17th December).    This will cost more than £1 million.

Under the Labour Government's Regional Spatial Strategy in 2008 even more development was proposed for Truro than the current plan.

It is nonsense to tell us that we are not to worry as this will all be paid for by the Government and developers.   If we ask for money for this , it undoubtedly reduces what we can get for other things.

That bus lane is now considered unnecessary.   If small sections of bus lane are not necessary why was the small section on Tregolls Road (in and out of town) ever installed in the first place?

Please look out for the Council's consultation in January and make your views known.