Landowners 'kept in the dark' over trail proposal

OBJECTORS to a proposal for a public leisure access trail at New Mills, Launceston, say more public consultation is needed before the scheme goes ahead, and fear the plan will have an adverse affect on the area.

The application by Cornwall Council comes before the east sub area planning committee tomorrow at the council chamber in College Road, Camelford.

It seeks to create a trail adjacent to Launceston Steam Railway on the existing railway ballast embankment and extend existing parking facilities at New Mills Farm Park to accommodate vehicles used by the proposed trail users.

Both Egloskerry and St Thomas Parish Council support the application but members of St Stephens by Launceston Rural Parish Council are opposed to the scheme.

Parish council chairman Nick Hewlitt said his council had held an extraordinary meeting and many concerns had been raised over the viability of the scheme.

"There seems to be a total lack of consultation with landowners," said Mr Hewlitt. He believed that there should be a site meeting with owners and was worried how it would impinge on facilities.

Railway line

Mr Hewlitt's parish council has also raised issue over the cost of the scheme to the taxpayer.

The proposal lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the application site follows the old railway line from the leisure park to a point 750 metres to the west of the highway bridge over the former railway.

The stretch of railway line between Launceston and New Mills has for some years been used by Launceston Steam Railway which serves as a tourist facility and links the town to the leisure park.

A report before the planning committee shows the trail would "facilitate walking, cycling and potentially equestrian use".

But objectors say the proposal is ill thought out and the railway line is not disused but used by landowners. They also fear an increase in traffic on the existing narrow roads in the area.

Resident Martin Towers of West Kernick Farm, St Stephens, said: "We are against it because it is committing Cornwall Council to a lot of money that is probably unnecessary. The application is not very clear how they will achieve what they are proposing and are putting in this bit of trail in the middle of nowhere. This application is also for six extra car parking spaces for the farm park.

"There is concern locally that if it goes through local roads will not be able to deal with an increase in traffic because it is all single track roads around here."

Approve

Cornwall Council's planning committee has been recommended by officers to approve the application.

Peter Sainsbury Cornwall Council's landscape and urban design unit manager said the section of trail could cost £150,000.

He explained that if they did not get planning permission they would get no funding, which still had to be approved by various groups including the Rural Development Association.

" We are hoping to create as much trail from Launceston to where we are looking at and beyond, depending on the funding we get.

"There are hardly any rights of way in Launceston," added Mr Sainsbury, who said that public consultation had been undertaken with Launceston Forum who were no longer in existence.

However, he said the initiative had been led by the local community.

"I am in no way trying to blame the Launceston Forum if something has gone amiss.

"But something has gone astray. We genuinely understood that local consultation was done by the Launceston Forum."