BUSINESSES in Truro are urging Cornwall councillors to think again before endorsing an application to the Government for the controversial £8m Lighterage Quay Bridge project.

Councillors are being asked at a full Cornwall Council meeting tomorrow (April 21) to approve an application to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander for a Transport and Works Act (TWA) order for the pedestrian and cycle bridge.

This is necessary because the proposed bridge connecting Newham Industrial Estate with Boscawen Park will impact navigation rights on the river and would be unlawful without the TWA order.

However, the Newham Business Improvement District (BID), whose role is to promote Newham as a business location and to support the 180 businesses on the estate, is questioning whether councillors have all the necessary facts to make an informed decision.

While not opposed to the bridge in principle, the BID is concerned that councillors are being asked to start a complex two-year process with long-term legal, financial, safety and economic consequences without the full picture.

The meeting will hear that although only a short span, the pedestrian bridge carries several technical, operational and consenting challenges that Cornwall Council, as project lead, needs to overcome.

An agenda report states: “Although the bridge contains a mechanism to open to waterway users, the consent has been determined as necessary given that the bridge, during and once constructed, does interfere with rights of navigation. Other consenting options have been considered and either deemed inappropriate or not likely to protect the project or Cornwall Council from legitimate challenge.”

BID chair Carole Theobald is writing to all members of Cornwall Council ahead of the meeting to raise concerns and the BID is tabling a series of questions. “We feel this process is being presented to councillors merely as an administrative formality, but there are much wider implications,” she said.

“Endorsing a TWA order is a formal step that seeks consent for the permanent interference with statutory navigation rights, and for the construction and operation of a bridge that would otherwise be unlawful.

“It can also unlock significant additional powers, including compulsory land acquisition, temporary diversion of routes and the authorisation of works that materially change how an area operates.

“Once submitted, the process can take up to two years and requires significant public resources – legal, technical and financial – to pursue and manage. The BID is concerned that these implications have been underplayed and that councillors are being asked to proceed without the full operational, financial, safety and economic context needed to make an informed judgement.”

This is not the first time Newham BID has raised concerns about the Lighterage Quay Bridge project, which aims to create a walking and cycling route around Truro harbour and is the flagship project of the £23.6m Town Deal plan to revitalise the city.

The BID has consistently raised concerns about how it would be accessed within a busy working industrial estate and it has also commissioned expert evidence about the potential danger to walkers and cyclists from heavy good vehicles on the industrial estate, which sees 2,000 vehicle movements a day. It also produced a video highlighting the dangers.

The BID is now asking for clarity from the council on four key areas:

Navigation, operation and maintenance – including who would be legally and financially responsible for operating and maintaining the bridge, and why those costs are absent from the report.

Cost and value for money – particularly how committing around £8 million of public money to a bridge with undefined operating costs represents best value when known highway safety issues remain unresolved.

Safety – given a documented accident history, the council’s own acceptance of ongoing collision risk and independent professional advice describing the scheme as “fundamentally flawed”.

Economy and place – whether leisure and active-travel ambitions are being advanced without proper regard to Newham’s industrial role, traffic intensity and public safety risks.

Carole added: “Newham is not a leisure destination. It is a high intensity industrial estate, home to around 180 businesses, employing up to 1,500 people, generating approximately £250 million in annual turnover and carrying over 2,000 vehicle movements a day, many of them HGVs.

“It also supports many critical services that residents across Cornwall rely on, from waste management and buses to postal services.

“Decisions affecting Newham must take account of this reality. We are urging councillors to satisfy themselves that they have all the relevant information before taking a decision that could permanently alter public rights, commit public resources, and affect safety and the local economy for decades to come. We believe there remain too many unanswered questions about Lighterage Quay Bridge.”

Although there are provisions through the TWA to obtain further relevant consents, Cornwall Council is only seeking an order for “the interference with the rights of navigation”.

Other required consents, such as planning permission and marine licences, will be sought separately and under the appropriate legislation.