St Agnes & Perranporth local news
Perranporth “free” school axed
By Lee Trewhela The government has scrapped plans for a new 1,050-pupil “free” school on the north coast of Cornwall. In May 2022 Boris Johnson’s Conservative government promised the...
Can we have our money back? Government unhappy with the way Cornwall Council built its Saints Trail bridge, and wants a £2.1 million refund
By Peter Tremayne County Hall’s culture of viewing grants as “free money” has triggered a new dispute with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Nine years after...
New A30 Chiverton Cross road junction is already out of date, says National Highways, as motorists raise safety concerns with their MP
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Long and potentially dangerous queues of traffic trying to navigate the new Chiverton Cross junction on the A30 are due to too many motorists trying to...
‘Dangerous’ campsite plan unanimously refused as councillors reject officers’ advice
By Lee Trewhela A Cornwall Council planning committee has unanimously agreed with a highways expert, formerly employed by the local authority, that access to a proposed campsite would impact...
Who’d have thought it? Saints Trail cycle path now wanted for motorists
By Lee Trewhela Walkers, cyclists and horse riders are up in arms over proposals to use the newly-opened Saints Trail as a vehicular access to a new campsite, fearing...
Cornwall’s Homechoice housing system offline all month
By Lee Trewhela Homechoice – the service which allows thousands of people in need of homes in Cornwall to bid on council and housing association properties – is offline...
Truro Cathedral cleric suspended
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Truro Cathedral has suspended one of its senior clerics following a safeguarding complaint. The Reverend Canon Alan Bashforth has been suspended for three months pending an...
Planners vote 8-1 to refuse permission for holiday park ‘monstrosity’ at ‘death trap’ junction
By Lee Trewhela Members of a Cornwall Council planning committee have dubbed a proposed holiday park on a protected headland a “monstrosity” which could exacerbate road safety issues at...
Future of Cornwall’s “free” schools in doubt as government announces review
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The future of a number of new schools in Cornwall is in doubt after Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told MPs she was reviewing building plans approved...
Former Conservative councillor resigns from Tory party
By Julia Penhaligon One of the signatories to the motion declaring “no confidence” in Cornwall Council’s Conservative leader has resigned from the Conservative Party. Perranporth councillor Steve Arthur resigned...
Burst pipe leaves thousands with no water in Truro-St Agnes area
By Rashleigh MacFarlane A burst main pipe has left thousands of homes and businesses in the Truro-St Agnes area without water. South West Water also appears to have problems...
No, we’re still not there yet: A30 Chiverton target completion date delayed by Royal Cornwall Show
By Peter Tremayne The triumph of Cornwall’s agricultural lobby over National Highways, cancelling planned A30 road closures during the period of the Royal Cornwall Show, has delayed by at...
Motorists warned of two weeks of major roadworks on approach to Truro
By Peter Tremayne One of the main routes into Truro is closed overnight this week and next. The A390 between Chiverton and Langarth is being prepared for the major...
Mind how you go: Tunes In The Dunes to feature the police (the constables, not the band)
By Harold Callahan Police are warning would-be revellers at Perranporth’s “Tunes In The Dunes” festival to make sure they don’t try to drive while under the influence of drink...
A bridge not quite far enough
By Rashleigh MacFarlane A new bridge for cyclists and pedestrians, over the A30 at Chiverton Cross, has opened – but it could still be months before the “active travel”...
Registration of common land at Porthtowan is good news for ramblers
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The Open Spaces Society has welcomed Cornwall Council’s decision to grant two applications to register common land on the north coast. The land, which is owned...
Councillors reject plans for Healey’s Cyder solar farm
By Rashleigh MacFarlane A controversial solar farm in Cornwall has been refused planning permission on the casting vote of the committee chairman. Officials had recommended approval of a six-acre...
No Masked Ball at Killiow Estate
By Lee Trewhela Organisers of the Masked Ball events have withdrawn a licensing application to hold the Spring Ball at a new venue near Truro following complaints by residents....
Shiny happy people: planners to vote on solar farm application
By Rashleigh MacFarlane County Hall planning officials are backing another controversial solar farm in Cornwall. Planning bosses are recommending approval of a six-acre site at the Healey’s Cyder farm,...
Beer festival celebrates the long, relentless march of craft ales
By Harold Callahan A beer festival at Perranporth plans to offer some pints of ale for only £1.99 during a 12-day event next month. A pint of beer in...
A30 Chiverton: Are we nearly there yet? No. Stop asking.
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The roadworks on the A30 at Chiverton Cross, to the west of Truro, will now continue until at least June, National Highways has said. The project...
Are we nearly there yet? More road closures throughout February as A30 inches towards Chiverton finish line
By Rashleigh MacFarlane They’ve been talking about it forever. It became serious in 2014 when the government published its Road Investment Strategy for 2015-2020. When the government announced its...
Who chopped down Cornwall’s speed cameras? Police arrest two men
By Harold Callahan Police investigating criminal damage to speed cameras in Cornwall have made two arrests. Two men in their 30s, one from the Falmouth area and one from...
EXCLUSIVE: Cornwall councillor quits County Hall Tory group
By Graham Smith Cornwall councillor Steve Arthur has resigned from the Conservative group at County Hall, reducing the ruling party’s overall majority to only three. Councillor Arthur, a Perranporth...
Liskeard-Looe trains hit by flooding
Trains between Liskeard and Looe have been disrupted this weekend by heavy rain. The line at St Keyne was completely underwater. The heavy rain has also delayed roadworks to...
Cyclists get their bridge over the A30 at Chiverton
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Completion of the St Agnes to Truro "Saints Trail" route has taken a step forward with the installation of a new traffic-free bridge over the A30...
Four weeks of non-stop sewage alerts sparks beach protest
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Sea swimmers have staged a demonstration at Portreath to protest against what they say is 26 consecutive days of sewage alerts. Surfers Against Sewage, and Labour...
Are we nearly there yet? National Highways warns of more delays on A30 near Chiverton as another bridge is brought into play
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Motorists hoping to use the A30 Chiverton road face more diversions over the weekend of 3rd - 6th November as another bridge is put in place...
More motoring misery as A30 closes overnight, ahead of full closure next weekend
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Motorists again face long delays on the A30 between Carland Cross and Chiverton, to the west of Truro, as a week of overnight road closures affect the...
Cyclists prepare to celebrate their “Chiverton flyover”
By Rashleigh MacFarlane While motorists might be irritated by the continuing delays on the A30 around the new Chiverton Cross junction to the west of Truro, with more road...
New school delayed a year
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The government has confirmed that a new secondary school, due to have opened in Perranporth in 2025, will not now be ready until September 2026. The...
The war on motorists? News from the front
By Lee Trewhela Cornwall Council is installing concrete blocks to stop drivers using a village as a ‘rat run’ to escape delays caused by the ongoing work to dual the...
Get ready for another weekend without the A30 at Chiverton, warns National Highways
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Motorists are facing another weekend of delays on Cornwall’s main road when the A30 closes again for major earthworks. National Highways will close the road between...
Chiverton’s magic roundabout will close A30 again
By Rashleigh MacFarlane National Highways is again closing the A30 overnight from Chiverton Cross to Boxheater tomorrow night and Friday night. The road will be closed each night from...
Chiverton’s amazing vanishing magic roundabout has shifted A30 traffic delays a few miles further west
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The A30 to the west of Truro, at Chiverton, has reopened after a weekend of major redesign which has replaced the notorious 33-year-old roundabout with a...
Are we nearly there yet? A vision of the future A30 at Chiverton Cross
By Peter Tremayne The A30 to the west of Truro is due to reopen tomorrow (Monday) morning after a weekend of long diversions necessary to remove the Chiverton Cross...
Countdown to chaos as motorists face a weekend without the A30 at Chiverton
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall’s main spine road, the A30, is due to close between Scorrier and Boxheater, near the Chiverton Cross roundabout to the west of Truro, at 8pm...
Countdown to chaos: motorists will have to make do without a crucial part of the A30 this weekend
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Motorists hoping to use the A30 into west Cornwall are bracing themselves for long delays and diversions this weekend, starting at 8pm on Friday (16th June.)...
After 33 years of confusion, Chiverton Cross multi-lane roundabout is about to disappear
By Peter Tremayne The Chiverton Cross roundabout, Cornwall’s notorious accident blackspot and only 33 years old, will become a thing of the past next month. Completed in 1989, the...
After the gold rush: Blackwater residents fear lithium drilling will leave them with nothing but a big hole in the ground
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Drilling for lithium is about to get underway at Blackwater, between Truro and Redruth, despite objections from local residents. Engineers plan to drill a test borehole,...
Perranporth airfield cafe gets alcohol licence
By Richard Whitehouse An airfield cafe has been granted an alcohol licence so that it can serve drinks to people staying at its campsite and attending social events. Andrew...
A30 at Chiverton to close overnight this week
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The A30 between Chiverton Cross and Boxheater will be closed between 8pm and 6am this week as National Highways continues work on turning the road into...
Carland-Chiverton Cross section of A30 reopens after new bridge installed
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Traffic is getting back to normal on the A30 in west Cornwall after a new bridge was installed as part of National Highways’ Chiverton to Carland...
Motorists face weekend of diversions and delays as A30 roadworks enter crucial phase
By Rashleigh MacFarlane National Highways has started a crucial phase of work on the A30 between Chiverton and Carland Cross which is expected to cause major disruption and long...
EXCLUSIVE: County Hall officials always knew the Saints Trail cycle path was “poor value for money”
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council’s multi-million pound Saints Trail cycle path was always known to be poor value for money, according to internal County Hall documents. Cornwall Reports has...
Delayed delays delayed again: plans to close A30 bogged down for another week
By Peter Tremayne National Highways has again delayed a planned installation of a new bridge in Cornwall to the weekend of 17th-20th February. As part of the A30 Chiverton...
Disruption disrupted: next weekend’s A30 road closure postponed until following weekend
By Rashleigh MacFarlane National Highways has postponed next weekend’s planned installation of a bridge as part of the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade. The A30 was due to...
The buck stops with me, admits County Hall boss, as councillors tear into “unmitigated disaster” of Saints Trail cycle project
By Graham Smith Ultimate responsibility for Cornwall Council’s mismanagement of a £19 million cycle path rests with strategic director Phil Mason, Mr Mason himself admitted on Friday. The council’s...
A30 between Carland Cross and Chiverton to be fully closed for bridge replacement
By Peter Tremayne The A30 in west Cornwall will be fully closed on the weekend of 3rd-6th February to enable a new bridge to be installed as part of...
Residents object to plan for music festival at Perranporth airfield
By Richard Whitehouse Scores of people have objected to a music festival planned for an airfield later this year. Hypnosis Events has applied for a licence to hold a...
Saints Trail fiasco continues to shed light on Cornwall Council culture and practice, as senior officials dodge any blame
By Graham Smith A senior Cornwall Council official, accused of misconduct over the £19 million Saints Trail cycle path fiasco, asked a junior staff member in his own department...
Saints Trail inquiry “a whitewash” says councillor
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council’s investigation into what it did wrong with its doomed Saints Trail cycle path is a “whitewash” according to one councillor. The investigation, which was...
Every Cornwall councillor should read the Saints Trail inquiry report and learn a simple lesson: it’s time to get a grip
By Graham Smith The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy report on Cornwall Council’s ill-fated Saints Trail cycle project identifies a number of management weaknesses which look set...
No-one to blame for Saints Trail fiasco, says inquiry report, despite admitting project was always “undeliverable”
By Graham Smith The multi-million pound Saints Way cycle trail was poorly conceived and always undeliverable, according to an internal Cornwall Council inquiry into why much of the project...
Some sections of the Saints Trail cycle path finally open
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Some parts of the Saints Trail project, between St Agnes and Threemilestone, and the section from Perranporth to Goonhavern, have opened. Years behind schedule and wildly...
Overnight road closures on A30 Chiverton-Carland Cross next week
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Motorists planning to use the A30 between Chiverton and Carland Cross next week have been warned the road will be closed overnight, with diversions. The A30...
South West Water dumps more sewage on Cornwall’s beaches
By Rashleigh MacFarlane South West Water has dumped more raw sewage into the sea off the coast of Cornwall, just days after video of a discharge through a storm...
Planners to consider controversial “hot rocks” drilling project in tranquil hamlet
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Controversial plans for another “hot rocks” project come before councillors next week. The proposal concerns a site at Penhallow, between Truro and Perranporth, and has triggered...
Chiverton Cross cycle bridge over A30 inches closer
Cornwall Council is hoping to hire civil engineers Costain to build a cycle and pedestrian bridge over the A30 at Chiverton Cross. County Hall says the contract is being...
Cyclists win their campaign for a bridge over the A30 at Chiverton Cross
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Proposals to build a bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders over the dual carriageway at Chiverton will go ahead, Cornwall Council has confirmed. The announcement follows a...
EXCLUSIVE: Saints Trail inquiry “will not attribute blame” as councillors face long wait for answers
By Peter Tremayne It will be several months before Cornwall Council is able to explain what went wrong with its chaotic £19 million Saints Trail cycle path project, part...
Mount Hawke murder: Devon and Cornwall police “tapped on the window” and then left
By Peter Tremayne Devon and Cornwall police are bracing themselves for a damning report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct over their failure to respond to reports of...
New secondary school for 1,350 students to open at Perranporth – in September 2025
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The Truro and Penwith Academy Trust looks set to strengthen its grip on Cornwall’s education system with news that a “free school” is to open at...
Perranporth skate park gets planning permission, despite noise concerns
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Planners have rejected the advice of Cornwall Council officials and approved a skatepark at Perranporth, after a campaign stretching back several years. The latest application had...
Cyclists fear County Hall might scrap plans for Chiverton Cross bridge
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cyclists have given themselves another week to collect names on a petition which they hope will save plans for a bridge over the Chiverton Cross junction...
Planners recommend refusal of permission for Perranporth skatepark
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The battle for a skatepark at Perranporth is set to be resumed next week, when Cornwall’s planners again consider an application which has divided local opinion....
Developers again have Penhale Army Camp in their sights, planning to build a holiday park
By Richard Whitehouse and Julia Penhaligon New plans have been revealed for the redevelopment of a former military camp with beach houses. Holiday firm CABU has submitted a planning...
Cornwall Council leader challenged to declare that she has confidence in County Hall officials who wasted millions on failed Saints Trail cycle path
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council’s political leadership will be challenged today (Tuesday) to declare that it has confidence in the senior County Hall officers who masterminded the disastrous Saints...
Storm Eunice is expected to bring a tidal surge, and flooding, to North Cornwall coast on Friday
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The Environment Agency is urging people living in flood risk communities along Cornwall’s north coast to prepare for flooding from a forecast tidal surge caused by...
How we screwed up the Saints Trail cycle path, by Cornwall Council
By Graham Smith Cornwall Council has finally published reasons for its abandonment of the Saints Trail cycle path between Newquay and Goonhavern. The 11-page report is unlikely to satisfy...
Saints Trail – it wasn’t the first two-wheeled “omnishambles” and it won’t be the last: Any inquiry needs to ask the right questions if the same mistakes are not to be repeated
By Graham Smith Any inquiry into the multi-million pound Saints Trail fiasco, which on Friday saw the scrapping of a key part of a 19 mile off-road cycle path,...
Saints Trail: Cornwall’s multi-million pound “flagship” off-road cycle path to nowhere
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Cornwall Council has been forced to abandon a key part of its flagship “Saints Trail” cycle path, after wasting millions of pounds. The trail was supposed...
Cormac in the firing line over Saints Trail omnishambles
By Richard Whitehouse The Deputy Leader of Cornwall Council has admitted that plans to create new cycle trails across Cornwall are a “mess” and he is not certain they...
EXCLUSIVE: Can we have our money back? National Highways protest at Cornwall’s failure to make progress punctures the grand vision of an off-road Saints Trail cycle path
By Julia Penhaligon Cornwall Council officials are severely downgrading their ambitious Saints Trail cycle path between Perranporth and St Agnes, with parts of it now destined to become a...
Covid-19: Cornwall’s infection rate has trebled since “Freedom Day” only one month ago
By Anne North Cornwall’s Covid infection rate saw another huge increase yesterday (Wednesday) and now stands at 771.3 per 100,000 population, the highest in mainland Britain. The average for...
Cornwall Council’s change in political control means no change for couple caught in cycle trail compulsory purchase ordeal
By Richard Whitehouse A couple have told of the nightmare they have experienced due to their home being in the middle of a major Cornwall Council project to create...
A30 roadworks between Carland Cross and Chiverton reveal archaeological treasures
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The construction of a new A30 road between Carland Cross and Chiverton has uncovered important archaeological finds, dating from the stone age to Cold War military...
Saints Trail cycle path will cost £66,000 a year to maintain, says report
By Rashleigh MacFarlane County Hall’s controversial Saints Trail cycle path will cost £66,000 a year to maintain, councillors have been told. Cornwall Council is going ahead with plans for...
Cornwall’s latest cycle path will need Compulsory Purchase Orders before it can be finished – more than a year late, and £6 million over budget
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Parts of the Saints Trail cycle path between Newquay and Perranporth will need compulsory purchase orders to secure the necessary land, Cornwall councillors have been told....
All in one place: the full list of the Cornwall Council candidates
By Julia Penhaligon A total of 374 candidates have entered the contest to elect a new Cornwall Council on 6th May. The tally of candidates by party, or description...
All of Cornwall’s leisure centres will reopen on Monday 12th April
By Rashleigh MacFarlane All 12 of Cornwall Council’s leisure centres are to reopen on 12th April, despite the continuing financial difficulties of the private management company GLL. Saltash, St...
Tough questions ahead for County Hall, as leisure centres remain closed until the middle of the election campaign
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The future of Cornwall’s leisure centres is likely to be questioned again tomorrow (Tuesday) when councillors consider the latest update from the Cornwall Council cabinet member...
Government gives the go-ahead for 1,350-pupil new secondary school near St Agnes
By Rashleigh MacFarlane The government has given the go-ahead for a new secondary school in the St Agnes-Goonhavern area, to the west of Truro. The exact site is yet...
“We’ll consider a wide range of business models,” says council, as consultants look at the future of Cornwall’s leisure centres
By Julia Penhaligon Consultants hired to investigate the future of Cornwall’s leisure centres have been asked to consider a wide range of potential business models, according to County Hall’s...
Covid-19 forces the closure of several Cornish pubs
By Julia Penhaligon A growing number of pubs in Cornwall are closing because of Covid-19. The specific reasons vary, with some blaming staff shortages following reported contact with a...
Under the hammer: the many mansions of Cornwall Council
By Graham Smith A major rationalisation of Cornwall Council’s vast property portfolio is due to take a significant step forward next week when councillors scrutinise plans to sell offices...
Cornwall’s £19 million Saints Trail gets the go-ahead, subject to government ruling on environmental impact
By Richard Whitehouse Plans to create a new multi-user trail linking Perranporth and Newquay have been approved. Phase one of the Saints Trail is part of a series of...
Planners to consider major new recreational path between Perranporth and Newquay
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Plans for a new cycling and recreational path between Newquay and Perranporth look set to get the go-ahead next week, despite some concerns about the impact...
Covid-19: Cornwall now has 10 clusters, and 20 new cases in 24 hours
By Anne North There are now 10 Covid-19 clusters in Cornwall, with a developing concentration of cases in the Camborne-Pool-Redruth area. Government data published this afternoon (Wednesday) shows that...
Two new Covid-19 clusters in Cornwall
By Anne North There are two new “clusters” of Covid-19 in Cornwall, according to today’s (Tuesday’s) government data. The St Agnes and Mount Hawke area has three confirmed cases,...
RNLI lifeguards to patrol six more Cornish beaches from tomorrow
By Richard Whitehouse More beaches in Cornwall will have RNLI lifeguards patrolling from this weekend. Cornwall Council has announced that from Saturday another six beaches in Cornwall will have...
“We’re in the money!” Penzance in line for a multi-million pound windfall, while North and East Cornwall can only wait for crumbs
By Peter Tremayne Towns in Cornwall have been given details of the financial help they can expect for “regeneration.” Penzance is the big winner – with almost everywhere north...
Work starts on £19 million Saints Trails
By Anne North Work has started at Goonhavern on the first part of a new 10.5-mile multi-use trail between Newquay and Perranporth. It will be the first in a...
Two wheels good, four wheels bad: the Saints Trails to link St Agnes, Newquay, Perranporth and Truro
By Anne North Proposals for nearly 19 miles of new cycle and leisure trails should make progress next week when Cornwall councillors consider contributing £2 million towards an ambitious...
EXCLUSIVE: Cornwall Council considers how to keep on top of information about “contaminated land,” including a former chemical weapons factory
By Anne North Five “special sites” within the former top secret chemical weapons factory at Portreath are still on a register of contaminated land, according to a report to...
Plans for 4,000-home Truro New Town hit the road
By Julia Penhaligon and Richard Whitehouse Some detail about the proposed Truro New Town might emerge next week, as Cornwall Council embarks on a series of “listening” events designed...
“We will fight them on the beaches” – town and parish councils go to war over once-in-a-generation boundary disputes
By Graham Smith Local councils across Cornwall are preparing to do battle over which of them should survive the current Community Governance Review, with some vowing to “fight them...
Extinction Rebellion stage another eye-catching climate protest
By Rashleigh MacFarlane Extinction Rebellion protestors staged another climate change demonstration in St Ives yesterday (Saturday) to warn of rising sea levels. A “Deckchair Disaster” action is planned for...
Chiverton Cross “flyover” for bikes at the heart of new cycle routes West of Truro
By Graham Smith Residents of the St Agnes-Truro-Newquay area are being urged to have their say about new cycle routes. The most eye-catching proposal is a new bridge over...
EXCLUSIVE: Cornwall’s “surf tax” raising even less in revenue now than when it was introduced
By Peter Tremayne Cornwall’s controversial “surf tax” is raising even less revenue now than when it was introduced to several beaches in 2016, according to a Freedom of Information...