Carnon Downs Highways project

The Council have today delivered letters to residents in Carnon Downs regarding proposed changes to highways in the village on Forth Coth, Quenchwell Road and Bissoe Road.

The letter is as follows:

"I am writing to keep you up to date with work the Parish Council has been carrying out with Cornwall Council on proposals to make changes to the highways in Carnon Downs, to try to resolve some of the various problems that residents have brought to our attention.

Forth Coth - parking problems

We have received a large number of complaints about ongoing problems outside the Dentist with indiscriminate parking of vehicles, often blocking the pavement on both sides of the road and causing considerable concern and safety issues to pedestrians, particularly those pushing baby buggies or with mobility scooters who have to go out around the vehicles into the road.

We are proposing to create two parking bays marked by white lines on the wide section of footpath immediately outside of the Dentist. Then create a marked pedestrian walkway between the new parking bays and existing grass verge, to be marked with the appropriate pedestrian symbol to indicate that it is a pedestrian footway. Bollards will also be installed to separate the parking bays from the footpath and ensure the path is kept clear for pedestrians and not able to be blocked by vehicles. It is also proposed to install double yellow lines on the opposite side of the road (starting from Gwel Brae/Rochester all the way up to the Bissoe Road junction and then joining with new yellow lines, see below) together with bollards to stop cars blocking that narrower pavement and impeding visibility for residents trying to exit their properties on that side of Forth Coth.

Bissoe Road junction – parking and visibility problems

We have received numerous complaints regarding vehicles parking very close to the junction of Bissoe Road with Forth Coth and the problems this causes when turning into Bissoe Road and also for pedestrians trying to cross Bissoe Road, especially in the Quenchwell Road direction.

Various options to re-model the junction have been considered however unfortunately there are a number of utility services located in the grass verge which would mean that the works would be very expensive and unaffordable for the Parish Council to fund (the Parish Council are paying for all of these highways works).

The proposal is to install double yellow lines on both sides of Bissoe Road from the junction with Forth Coth down to around the Methodist Chapel area and widen the pavement on the corner (the side of the road nearest to the bus shelter) to improve visibility for pedestrians and narrow the junction and therefore slow the speed of traffic turning into Bissoe Road (shown on the plan at the end of this letter).

Improved pedestrian access on Bissoe Road

As part of the conditions of the planning permission for the new Pengelly Meadows development it was agreed for Taylor Wimpey to make a contribution towards improving pedestrian access on Bissoe Road. The Parish Council will be requesting that this contribution is spent on installing a pavement to link the junction of Manse Road down to the new footway (behind the new stone wall) at Pengelly Meadows. We have been advised that the road is wide enough to install a pavement without the need to make any changes to the grass verges on the opposite side of the road.

Quenchwell Road – parking issues

The Parish Council are proposing to extend the existing double yellow lines on Quenchwell Road down to opposite Algarnick Farm to restrict parking which can cause congestion on this road.

The above are all currently proposals and will be subject to a formal consultation process which Cornwall Council will carry out with residents in Spring/early Summer, however as a Parish Council we wished to keep you informed and ask you to get in touch with us with any comments you may have on these proposed highway changes.

If you have any comments or questions regarding these proposals I would be grateful if you could please get in touch with me either by telephone 01872 863333, by email debra@feockparishcouncil.co.uk, by letter to the address above, or call into the office in Devoran (we are in the office between 10am and 1pm each weekday). Our next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 6th March and if possible I would be grateful for any comments or concerns by that date so that I can report back to the Council.

Debra Roberts

Parish Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer"