CORNWALL Council held a drop-in consultation event in Camelford last week, allowing local people to ask questions and talk about the town’s air quality, following its label as an air quality management area.

On Wednesday, November 9, Cornwall Council welcomed members of the community to attend the drop-in event at Camelford Hall, as part of the consultation process towards improving Camelford’s air quality, along with other towns across Cornwall, including Truro, Bodmin and St Austell.

Guidelines set out by DEFRA — department for environment, food and rural affairs — have suggested that taking anything forward towards improving Camelford’s air quality could take between 12 and 18 months, once the consultation has finished.

This has concerned town councillors Rob Rotchell and Claire Hewlett, who are currently leading a community based group aiming to take action against the town’s air pollution and traffic.

The Camelford Clean Air Group was set up in September, following a post on the Facebook page ‘Love Camelford’, from a member of the community who was fed up with the traffic in the town being disruptive and, ultimately, dangerous.

The group has met monthly to discuss ways to campaign for a safer and cleaner Camelford. Together, they have knocked on doors, handed out numerous leaflets and been in touch with the press to get their message across.

Long term monitoring of Camelford’s air quality has shown that the town has reached 62.1ug/m3, showing a dangerous level of pollution in the air. Causes of this can be traffic congestion and, in some cases, industrial lorries and trucks passing through narrow roads, of which Camelford possesses.

Once a town reaches over 60ug/m3, Cornwall Council identifies it as an air quality management area, meaning a plan of action will have to be undertaken to find ways of improving the status.

In the previous meetings for the Camelford Clean Air Group, as well as events such as on carnival night in October, it has been discovered that the only solution many people think will solve their problem is by putting a bypass in the town, providing an alternative route for specific traffic.

However, many worry this will never be delivered, due to lack of funding from Cornwall Council.

On November 9, two environmental protection officers, Eloise Travis and Jen Graham, from Cornwall Council were on hand to talk residents through air quality, answer any questions and listen to their opinions on what could happen in the future.

Cllr Hewlett attended the event with over 60 written responses from people in the town, with Eloise reporting that a further 81 online responses had been received.

Eloise said: “I think people want to do this online, because it can be done in seconds, and this is the best response we’ve ever had, so I really think online is the best way forward.

“As long as people are aware the consultation is happening, that’s the main thing. If people are interested, they will look.”

Jen said the consultation process will take a long time to complete, and will need a strong response from members of the community.

She said: “Firstly, we ask questions to get some further information. We need to declare the consultation and raise awareness through that. That’s the first stage.

“We then take on board the comments, which allows us to finalise the boundary, meaning we can then create a draft action plan for dealing with air quality, and the public gets the chance to comment on this.”

Jen added that it is important to Cornwall Council to get the opinions of those from the area. She continued: “It’s very important, because as much as we know the area ourselves, everyone who works in Camelford, drives through Camelford, goes to school in Camelford is effected and knows what is going on. This feeds into the process. Our statutory requirements is for us to get feedback from people in Camelford.”

Whilst there, Eloise — who has been responsible for delivering the consultation materials to the Camelford Clean Air Group — reported to Cllr Hewlett that around 160 responses have been received altogether.

Cllr Hewlett said that the Camelford Clean Air Group now have seven people to chase, following the results, including North Cornwall MP Scott Mann; Nigel Blackler, head of transportation; Geoff Brown, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for communities; and Bert Biscoe, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport.

Of the news that the process could take between 12 and 18 months, Cllr Hewlett said: “Twelve to eighteen months is a very long time, but I think Cornwall Council already know the solutions. From the consultation event at Camelford Carnival, for example, they have been shown what people want and what should be done, so they must know the solutions to the problem.”

Cllr Hewlett, Cllr Rotchell and Eloise were also interviewed by broadcaster Laurence Reed from BBC Radio Cornwall, on Thursday, November 10, following the drop-in event, named a ‘major meeting’ by Mr Reed.

Eloise told audiences at home that Camelford has been monitored since 2010, but pollution has increased due to the level of nitrogen oxide gas in the air. However, cars and HGV lorries contribute to just 7% of traffic, which ‘certainly contributes to the problem’.

She continued, saying the residents’ wishes to install a bypass in the town would be ‘very difficult to fund’, and that the idea of lorries being rerouted around the town was ‘not out of the question’, and that she would discuss with her highways colleagues to see how this could possibly be funded.

Cllr Rob Rotchell, when being interviewed, said: “Not only am I pleased, but I think the people of Camelford are quite delighted that we might see some light at the end of the tunnel.”

He continued, saying that the major contribution to the town’s traffic pollution was certainly articulated lorries and diesel cars waiting at the bottom of Fore Street, and having to do hill starts, which lets out toxic fumes.

He added that the possibility of diverting lorries around the town would be achievable, and that in the summer — with the roadworks on the A30 and in Bodmin, diverting traffic through Camelford — traffic can be seen queuing for two miles either side of the town, waiting to get through.

The group will be holding its next meeting on November 23, where they will meet for the last time before the consultation closes on November 28. For more information , visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/environmental-protection/environmental-protection-air-quality/camelford-air-quality.