COUNCILLORS have asked for colleagues’ support for their ‘ambition’ for a North-South link road to be developed in Launceston.

Town councillors Roger Creagh-Osborne and Val Bugden-Cawsey are part of the ‘Launceston Matters Connectivity Pod’ working group, which recently carried out a survey of more than 100 local residents, as part of the ‘Launceston Matters’ event in the town hall.

The pod, including the two town councillors, said that after receiving responses to the survey, it felt ‘the town needs to push for some changes’ to a Cornwall Council document looking at the future of growth in Launceston — the Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD).

Although this document talks about the delivery of a ‘southern loop road’ that would link the A388 Tavistock Road to the town’s existing Link Road, members of the working group said they wish to see a ‘full North South road passing to the East of the town’.

A document produced by the working group shows this ambition would be in three phases — phase one linking the new roundabout on the A388 to Polson; phase two in the north would link St Stephens at the B3254 and Dutson, while phase three, Polson to Homeleigh, would join up the first two phases.

However, Cllr Creagh-Osborne stressed to the Post that the lines on the maps prepared by the connectivity pod (pictured) are only indicative.

At a meeting of Launceston Town Council’s planning committee earlier this month, Cllrs Creagh-Osborne and Bugden-Cawsey said they were aware there was to be a meeting between Cornwall Council officers and the town council to discuss the DPD document — this meeting was due to take place on December 12.

However, as no member of the connectivity pod was able to attend that meeting, they asked fellow councillors to express their support individually to Cornwall Council for a North South link road.

Cornwall Council’s DPD document also lays out plans for development of 650 homes at Hurdon Road, although the local authority says this would not be anticipated to be developed until after 2030.

The working group said this ‘should be removed from the plan’, adding: “They are not required to deliver the allocated 1,500 or 1,800 new homes and they do not support currently required highway infrastructure improvements.”

Instead, the working group wants long-term housing allocations to be shown along the line of the link road.

At the planning committee meeting, Cllr Creagh-Osborne told fellow councillors: “If no ambition for the essential North South link is included in the plan then there is no chance that it will ever be completed.

“If it is included as an ambition which unlocks future potential new housing areas then it is possible that with a change of government it might happen.”

He accused the southern loop road as ‘delivering no net benefit for the town’, and Cllr Dave Gordon added: “The southern loop road has been very much their [Cornwall Council] vision for some unknown reason.”

Cllr Jane Nancarrow said: “You talk to anybody in the town and the problem is linking the North and South.”