A preferred route and design for the former A39 trunk road was granted planning permission but this has long since lapsed. The 2005 design is a single carriageway with a design speed of 100kph. It provides a theoretical capacity of 13,000 vehicles per day, sufficient capacity to cope with the current traffic flows on the A39 (including the seasonal uplifts) as well as the predicted increases in traffic flows to 2030.
Mr Bowden was talking on behalf of Nigel Blacker, Cornwall Council’s head of transportation, waste and environment.
Mr Bowden said: “We’re working on it and we have the best opportunity to get this in place for over a decade, although the prices have risen somewhat since 04/05.
“The council have applied to the DfT [Department for Transport] for the A39 to be made into a Major Road Network.”
Cornwall Council’s briefing note for the meeting said: “The introduction of a bypass would unblock significant constraint on the A39 and facilitate housing growth, improve economic and tourist related opportunities in the area, and address the local impacts of traffic congestion and air quality management area in the town. Removing the through traffic would provide the opportunity for a place shaping transformation of the town centre.”
Mr Bowden continued: “The round of applications is in July (whole of the South West) but because of the work done already its one of the most advanced schemes. Nine schemes have been put forward and at the moment we’re developing the Strategic Outline Business Case to the Strategic Network Transport Board. If they support, £700,000 will be put forward towards scheme development funding and then we’ll submit the Outline Business Case sometime early next year (spring 2020).
“If they give us the money, we can take it forward and to tender to initiate costs. The full business case to DfT to show it’ll help economic development, air quality and so on. If we win the scheme, it could start at the end of 2021 and open in the spring of 2023.
“I worked on the A391 (A30 to St Austell) and it’s a similar case. This would cost about £80-million with five or six million coming from Cornwall Council but we have to go through the same scheme.”
Mr Bowden then talked about what has to be done in the near future.
He said: “Surveyors will have to look at the ecology and also we’ve got to do some risks to get ahead of the game.
“We also have to do traffic surveys, the first of which is in two weeks’ time. There’s also interview surveys and we have to do the traffic ones again in August. Air quality management monitors are now also in the town, as well as doing drone surveys and aerial photography, public and stakeholder engagement and topographical at the location of the proposed junctions and structure.”
Mr Bowden spoke of the size of the bypass and the importance.
“The bypass would be 4.24km long and consist of four or five junctions. This is the best chance in over a decade, hopefully your support is strong for it.”
Cornwall Councillor for Camelford (Lib Dem), Rob Rotchell is also Cornwall Council cabinet member for health and social care and said that it’s now or never for the town to get what it wants.
He said: “One of the important things is to have Cornwall Council’s support and the broad round figure is £6.5-million. It sends a powerful message if it gets local support.
“Some [bids] won’t get that as the other councils won’t be able to support.
“Also with me being a Cornwall cabinet member, this gives me an inside track. This goes to cabinet on July 24 and my understanding is that it’ll get supported. I’m confident we’ll get support from the cabinet but there needs to be support from the community. If we don’t get it, this time we should stop supporting it.
“I’m putting all my efforts into this attempt and it’s a golden opportunity to get this bypass. It’s important that support is evident.”
A member of the audience asked what are the chances of it going through, to which Cllr Rotchell replied: “There are nine bids from the South West and Geoff Brown [transport portfolio holder] is supportive of it. We have a powerful case this time. Cornwall Council can see the economic benefits and what it’ll do for the town. Also it’s the only single bit from Barnstaple to Wadebridge.
“The development of the entire strip is a very important point, saying it’ll be beneficial for the whole strip will make it more powerful, we’ve got a great chance.
“There’s no funding available for just air quality so the answer to the air quality problems in the town is the bypass. But it’s up to the DfT to decide if we get the bypass.”
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