NEWQUAY Town Council has agreed to withdraw its objection to the proposed contentious closure of part of a public footpath adjacent to the railway at Trencreek after coming to a compromise.

Councillors and residents were concerned Network Rail’s initial plan to shut a section of footpath 63 would result in the potential loss of access to Trencreek Meadows, which is a “valued” green space partly owned by Cornwall Council.

But the new plans will keep the spur of the footpath to the current boundary of the woods.

A Planning Inspector has granted Prow Park Business Village at Treloggan Industrial Estate planning permission for a retrospective change of use of land for parking, storage and the siting of storage containers on appeal.

Campaigners are hoping keeping the public access open will make it harder for Cornwall Council to sell the land to Prow Park following fears the wildlife habitat will be damaged, and flooding would increase.

Network Rail proposes to divert the public footpath as part of its plan to close the vehicle crossing at Trencreek.

There are proposals to make Trencreek a cul-de-sac once the Newquay Strategic Route is open and operating.

Councillor Joanna Kenny, the chairman of Newquay town council’ planning committee, said: “Newquay Town Council decided to withdraw its objection to the closure of part of the existing footpath adjacent to the railway at Trencreek.

“Not, however, with any great enthusiasm.

“But there had been some adjustment to the plans which we thought was an acceptable compromise and we thought it unlikely that a full-scale enquiry would change the outcome for this small bit of land.

“On the surface, this proposal is about the redrawing of the footpath that runs from Trencreek to the Morrison’s end of the Treloggan industrial estate.

“We are told that Network Rail intend to close the existing pedestrian railway crossing. To do this they needed to divert the public footpath to run along the edge of field from the railway pedestrian gate, the side opposite to the main part of Trencreek.

“Once the Newquay Strategic Route is open and operating, it has been known for many years that Network Rail want to close the Trencreek vehicle level crossing making Trencreek a cul-de-sac, but it seems with a pedestrian crossing to allow access to the footpath.

“The objection from the town council and others concerns what happens to the original footpath from the railway track to where it joins the rejigged footpath.

“The compromise will keep that spur of foot path to the current woods boundary but close it on the land the Council has decided to sell.

“That land was the subject of a retrospective planning permission to clear the woods and undergrowth, refused by the Cornwall Council central panning committee but recently approved by the appeal inspectorate.

“Clearly Cornwall Council were very keen that we withdrew the objection starting with a not very veiled threat to apply the costs of a hearing to anyone making a legitimate objection and informing us that we would be holding up Network’s plans to reorganise the crossings.

“Something we took with a pinch of salt since those plans do not seem to have reached the formal proposal and consultation stage.

“In my personal view, the argument, on both sides, is not really about the footpath and public access but is all about Cornwall Council’s determination to sell the woods, now in large part decimated, making the land an economic area; before any new administration in May could look at the proposals again.

“I believe that the proposed use covering marshy land with tarmac, is completely unsuitable and we already have reports of increased flooding on the other side of the track.

“I also believe that the current administration in Cornwall Council in their rush to sell one of our rare inland green areas as economic land is being extremely short-sighted.

“The town council had designated the area as the more valuable development land.

“The recent call for sites identified that the adjacent fields that drain down into the woods, identified as ‘wet woods,’ are being considered for housing development.

“Like other marshy areas that bound development areas in Newquay, the wet woods could provide a sustainable drainage solution for the coming housing development proposals.

“So, the current administration is achieving a triple or more whammy in selling the land at the cheaper economic land rates for an unsuitable use, upsetting the local residents and making things more difficult for the coming housing development.”