This week the Government’s announced the new Local Growth Deal for Cornwall, which will see an investment of almost £200 million to support the local economy and promote new businesses. The Deal comprises a variety of important projects around Cornwall that will help attract businesses to our area. It is very much a local plan out together by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and backed by government. It is hoped that over the next five years the deal will create at least 4,000 jobs.
There are some important projects which have been given the go ahead which will have an impact on West Cornwall. In Falmouth, Newquay and Truro different development schemes will start to get to grips with pinch points on our roads where traffic is currently bad enough to frustrate businesses looking to invest in our area or indeed just transporting their own goods. In Newquay there are works to help alleviate traffic congestion and support access to the airport and the enterprise zone that surrounds it.
Other transport schemes maintaining and improving good transport links to the rest of the country will now also be given the green light. The important sleeper service, as announced last week by the Prime Minister, is to be given a vital upgrade with additional carriages and modern berths and for people entering and leaving Cornwall via Plymouth the A38 is getting some much needed work at Carkeel Junction.
Closer to home and further down the line £8 million of funds will contribute to a package of improvements on our key bus services that serve as a real lifeline to many in our part of the world. On top of that, money will be made available for the West Cornwall Transport Interchange. This scheme will see a major transport interchange at St Erth station for buses and rail and deliver necessary improvements on junction along the often pressured A30.
For more information on the sleeper upgrade announced last week, see George's blog.