Helston is set to become one of the first towns in the county to trial new ways of improving public transport.

A planning document setting out how Cornwall Council would like Helston to develop over the next 15 years includes information on housing, facilities such as schools and doctor surgeries, and the future of the town centre.

Although still some way off being implemented, it reveals that the town is one of two areas in the county planned to try out ways of encouraging more people to use public transport, such as improved information, ticketing and the buses themselves, to "significantly improve the offering to both existing passengers and non-users, increasing the appeal of public transport."

There is a suggestion that Helston could even get its own bus interchange, making it easier to travel to surrounding towns.

The aim is to increase the amount of people cycling and walking in the town by 15 per cent and using buses by 50 per cent.

A number of routes have already been identified for designated cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings, linking residential areas with the town centre, schools and some of the main employment areas.

Current figures, based on the 2011 Census, show that an above-average amount of people in Helston who work travel there on foot or by bicycle - 22 per cent, compared to 16 per cent in the rest of Cornwall - although there is a high level of car ownership, with 84 per cent of people owning one, compared to 61 per cent in Penzance.

A government-funded public transport project is set to rework the entire system in Cornwall by December 2018, although the Helston-specific proposals look ahead as far as 2030.

Other suggested changes to the way traffic moves around Helston include re-programming the timings of the traffic lights in Meneage Street and Coinagehall Street, with this junction "expected to experience congestion in the future," the document states.

Although further details are not given, it states that measures are needed to "reduce delays and increase pedestrian priority, thereby improving the town centre shopping."

This would allow Market Place, between the Guildhall and Lloyd's Bank, to be redeveloped into a "key focus for civic pride and activity."

Across town, changing the Penzance Road junction towards Penhellaz Hill to only allow vehicles to turn 'right' into it and 'left' out is seen as a solution to the problem of Cross Street becoming a 'rat-run'.

Cornwall Council believes that provided more people take up cycling, walking and public transport, Helston's roads have "sufficient capacity" to accommodate the increase in traffic likely to come from the extra houses being built.

A need for 1,200 extra homes between 2010 and 2030 - as well as 12,417 square metres of offices and 17,000 square metres of industrial space - is already common knowledge, but this document confirms that as a result of the HX1 site at Trenethick being allowed to increase from 340 to 450 homes "there should be no need to allocate any further sites."

As a result of the increased population, the plan estimates that an extra 120 primary school places will be needed by the end of this period and St Michael's Academy has been "identified for expansion," with studies showing that this can be done within the existing site. Is is seen that secondary education can be covered by the existing schools in the area, however.

Additionally, the increased demand on healthcare would mean the need for full-time hours of approximately "0.8" of a another GP.

The document, known officially as the "Site Allocations Development Plan" looks at the future of ten of Cornwall's larger towns, including Helston.

After being signed off by Cornwall Council's planning policy advisory committee last week, the document will be made public for six weeks over the summer, to give people living in the affected towns a chance to have their say.

Feedback given will help officers create a final version, which will once again be consulted on before being passed on to the Secretary of State for an independent examination in public.