RESIDENTS in Camelford will be able to speak to North Cornwall MP, Scott Mann, about the town’s traffic and air quality problems, with an upcoming visit planned for later in the month, writes Rosie Cripps.

The Conservative MP will also be offering people the opportunity to sign a petition that he will be taking forward to parliament.

The A39, one of Cornwall’s main routes, is situated in the centre of Camelford, meaning the town has undergone enormous pressure from traffic throughout the last decade, particularly during peak holiday times in the summer.

A study was first undertaken in Camelford by the Highways Agency between 1992 and 1994, where three routes were deciphered, one of which would provide a western route with a northern extension that would bypass Camelford and Valley Truckle. With a design put out to tender in 2003, a planning application to North Cornwall District Council was approved in 2004. However, in 2006 central government funding was removed after some complications and plans were put on hold.

In more recent years, with air quality having been monitored in Camelford since 2010, it was found that two areas in Camelford — Fore Street and High Street — had particularly high levels of NO2 pollution, which is generated through the amount of traffic built up in the town as vehicles from the A39 pass through.

The town was declared an air quality management area by Cornwall Council on January 4 of this year, and the council is now working with the town council, the Camelford Clean Air Group and residents to develop an air quality action plan to take the steps to improve the situation.

The preferred method for many is the installation of a bypass, which is what Mr Mann is working to achieve in parliament.

The MP paid a visit to the town earlier in the year with secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling MP, who told the Post that money would be made available for transport and road improvements if the Conservative party were to win the sudden General Election in June.

Mr Mann’s visit will allow local people to voice their concerns, hear from him about what he is doing to bring the town’s case to parliament and sign a petition in an attempt to bring the case forward.

A bypass is expected to cost millions of pounds. There are also alternative suggestions such as a separate HGV route. It is thought that heavy goods vehicles and diesel cars contribute the highest levels of pollution, with a survey showing that diesel vehicles contribute 33% and buses, coaches and rigid HGVs contributing a total of 37%. Camelford’s hilly roads means motorists will have to undertake a ‘hill-start’ maneuver at the traffic lights, which control the traffic travelling from both ends of the town — also thought to contribute to the problem.

This news follows the public release of the Camelford ‘high level options assessment report’ by Cornwall Council, which highlights the background of the situation, Camelford’s problems and what can be done to resolve it.

This was great news for Camelford Clean Air Group chairman, Claire Hewlett, also a town councillor and Green Party spokesperson for North Cornwall, who said although it is a positive aspect that this report has been released to the public, that there are still some things to take into consideration when reading the document.

Firstly, its remit was to investigate the options to improve the traffic flow in and around Camelford, and secondly, this particular document is not specifically ‘anything to do with remedying the air quality issue’.

She said: “Whilst the options assessment document is very useful, it’s only the first step of a much longer process. The next step is to secure funding for a business case to be created, by Cornwall Council, to enable Cornwall Council to apply to central government in the third quarter of 2018 for funding for their chosen option.”

Mr Mann will be in Camelford on Friday, November 17, situated outside the Conservative Club, to speak to residents about the ongoing issues. There will also be a chance for locals to sign his petition for a bypass for Camelford, which will help him put forward a strong case.

A spokesperson for Mr Mann’s office said: “Scott is very eager to get the ball rolling on a bypass proposal, especially now that the DfT have announced the intention to create a new roads fund, which will consider bypass projects. A petition is a good way of highlighting how popular the proposal is — ideed during the election, a bypass was the number one thing that came up on the doorstep. CORMAC have done an options report, which looks at different ways of addressing the congestion and air quality, and the bypass is thought to be the best long term solution to the issues which locals are concerned about.”