AN MP is calling on Cornwall Council to provide £1.5-million towards an accessible footbridge at a railway station.

Noah Law, the Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, says the community is within touching distance of gaining such a footbridge at Par but needs the investment from the council.

The idea of having a bridge was put forward as part of the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme but had been thrown into doubt because of funding problems.

Mr Law has been critical of facilities at the station where he says people with disabilities only have step-free access to one platform. He also says they face limited staff assistance hours and no accessible parking.

A spokesperson for Mr Law said: “Network Rail had earmarked an accessible footbridge for Par as part of the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme, but spiralling project costs jeopardised delivery. In parallel, an existing funding source – Access for All – was over-subscribed with applications.

“Mr Law met representatives from Network Rail and Cornwall Council and wrote to the Rail Minister Lord Hendy, who offered reassurance that he would ‘work closely with Network Rail to ensure that this important part of the scheme is delivered’.  

“Following considerable pressure, GWR has managed to find the majority of the money as part of the existing Mid Cornwall Metro funding, while managing costs around the broader scope of the project.”

Mr Law is now urging Cornwall Council to find the final £1.5-million needed to bring the footbridge project to fruition.

He said: “We are in touching distance of a real win for accessibility – ensuring people of all abilities will be able to make use of improved services within the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme; not only in terms of ascending and descending to cross, but also in accessing required train services more easily from both the Par and St Blazey sides.”