LAUNCESTON’S Community Network Panel has heard the highways schemes the town and parish councils would like to see progressed with the panel’s new £50,000 a year budget.

Each Community Network Panel across Cornwall has been allocated this budget, as part of a new Cornwall Council initiative to devolve decision making for small highways schemes.

At the panel meeting on Thursday, September 20, expressions of interest from the town and parish councils were read out, with a very rough estimate cost worked out by Oliver Jones of CORMAC for the parish council schemes that had been sent to him in advance of the meeting.

Chief executive of Cornwall Council Kate Kennally, who attended the meeting, said: “This is a decision the council’s made to give local community networks greater control over the control of Cornwall Council’s highways maintenance budgets. It’s not Central Government funding — it’s Cornwall Council’s funding.

“Yes there’s lots of pressure on our highways network and additional money was made available in May, enabling us to address some of the backlog issues we have got.”

Chair of the panel Neil Burden, Cornwall Councillor for Stoke Climsland, said of the suggested schemes for the network area: “Some are small, and some are very ambitious.”

Chris Sims, community link officer for the panel, added: “This is a new process for us. This is extremely rough — this is not our final decision making process.”

In total, the schemes detailed to the meeting all together could cost in the region of £245,000, but the meeting heard Mr Jones will look at the schemes in detail and work out proper costings, with Mr Sims suggesting a small working group could then look at it.

In North Petherwin the parish council raised concerns about where the speed limit changes from 40mph to 30mph near the parish hall and playground. Oliver Jones’s suggestion was to move the existing 40mph limit and new gateway signage at a rough cost of £7,500, which would require a traffic regulation order (TRO).

St Stephens Parish Council wants to see improvements around the B3254 and Duke Street, where it says there is obstructive parking and speeding. The suggestions were junction lining and looking at a mobile speed visor at a possible cost of £10,000, requiring a TRO.

Leader of Cornwall Council and Liberal Democrat ward member for Launceston North and North Petherwin Adam Paynter said: “There has been a few accidents on Duke Street and people knocked over.”

Some parish councils submitted more than one expression of interest and were asked to pick a priority. Trewen Parish Council’s priority is to reduce the speed of vehicles travelling eastwards through Pipers Pool on the A395.

Mr Sims said the suggested new gateway sign saying ‘slow down’ could cost in the region of £5,000. The parish council is also worried about vehicles travelling too quickly on the country lanes from the A395, with the proposed solution a fixed vehicle activated sign (VAS) Launceston bound, which wouldn’t require a TRO, for around £10,000.

A virtual footway — explained by Mr Jones as a coloured surface or demarcation — from Cottage Gardens, in response to an expression of interest put forward by Lewannick Parish Council would cost around £15,000, but would not need a TRO.

Stoke Climsland Parish Council wants to tackle excessive speeding on the B3257 at Bray Shop, and a fixed VAS sign at around £10,000 would not require a TRO. The parish council also wants to see the unsuitable for HGVs signage at Luckett Hill moved, which could cost around £2,500 and would not require a TRO.

New gateway signing and a fixed VAS at Downgate village, which Stoke Climsland Parish Council’s representative said is being ‘used as a rat run to Gunnislake’, wouldn’t require a TRO and would cost around £19,500. The meeting also heard from them that Stoke Climsland village is ‘chaos at school times’, with a proposed 20mph, traffic calming and gateway signing costing around £34,500, needing a TRO.

A 40mph limit needing a TRO at a cost of around £15,000 was the proposed solution to speeding traffic on the Congdon Shop crossroads, highlighted by North Hill Parish Council.

Boyton Parish Council is concerned about speed on the southern approach into Boyton and around the school, and the proposed scheme for this was variable speed limit signing outside the school — four 20mph signs, estimated cost £30,000, no TRO required.

Altarnun Parish Council claims on street parking by Jamaica Inn is causing obstructions and wants to see double yellow lines — parking restrictions requiring a TRO at a cost of around £2,500 were proposed. The parish council is awaiting a proposed solution for its other expression of interest of speeding in the parish.

Parking restrictions at the same estimated cost were suggested for South Petherwin, where the parish council has highlighted ‘inconsiderate parking’ adjacent to the old telephone box.

The parish council’s next expression of interest concerned parking obstructing access to the Trelinnoe Gardens’ footpath, and speeding in the area. A footway build out, so pedestrians can see both sides of the carriageway, would not need a TRO and would also cost in the region of £2,500, the meeting heard.

South Petherwin Parish Council also wants vehicles to stop mistakenly driving the footpath to Penbownder care home. Improved directional signing wouldn’t need a TRO and could cost around £1,000.

Oliver Jones also suggested this solution to South Petherwin’s final expression of interest — stopping unnecessary vehicles mistakenly taking the road to the Barns, Trebursye, just off the A30.

Laneast Parish Council is concerned about speeding on the A395, Badgall Downs and mooted solar panel slow down signs. Improved junction signage was proposed with no TRO needed at an estimated cost of £5,000.

Cornwall Cllrs Jade Farrington and Gemma Massey, Liberal Democrat ward members for Launceston South and Launceston Central, want to see a pedestrian island near the Co-Op on Western Road in the town, where they said it can be difficult to cross, especially at peak times. A proposed refuge would cost around £12,000 and not require a TRO.

Mr Sims told the meeting the costings are based on ‘very little information at the moment’. He added: “We have a budget of four years of £200,000. We will have to have a dialogue about prioritisation of schemes.”

Werrington Parish Council wants to tackle speeding vehicles at Ladycross and Yeolmbridge. Proposed highways schemes of renewal of anti skid surface and road markings at Langdon Cross is estimated to cost £13,000; a fixed VAS at Ladycross Launceston bound and new gateway signing from the Launceston direction — £15,000; and new gateway signing at Yeolmbridge — £5,000, no TROs needed.

Lezant Parish Council is concerned about the speed of traffic and safety of pedestrians crossing the A388. A pedestrian refuge was suggested and could cost around £17,000, not requiring a TRO.

Launceston Town Council’s concerns hadn’t yet be looked through by Mr Jones, but a list was shown to the meeting, including town councillor Dave Gordon’s wish to see Westgate Street and High Street pedestrianised ‘once and for all’, with access maintained for local businesses.

He said: “There are serious major issues with people parking in these streets and using it as a rat run.”

Mayor of Launceston Cllr Margaret Young said: “Dutson Road is an absolute accident waiting to happen. Since the new road surfacing has been done people are going faster than ever. I see people trying to cross Ridgegrove Lane junction and everyday I hear something screeching to stop.”

Cllr Burden said the next Community Network Panel meeting, due to be held December 13, will decide which schemes ‘go first in the first year’.