Falmouth Market Street moving rising bollard decision

People who took part in the consultation into Falmouth Town Centre Gateway Improvements received a notification this week telling them the work will now definitely go-ahead.

Cormac started the consultation on behalf of Cornwall Council on proposals to move the bollard from the junction of Market Street and Church Street to the entrance to Market Street on September 12 last year. It ended on October 5.

The work also includes associated signage and gateway work as well as the loss of six disabled parking spaces in Church Street car park In a letter to respondents.

Adam Knuckey, design lead on the project for CORMAC, part of Cornwall Council, said after consideration of all the responses received it had been resolved the proposals would go-ahead.

Computer generated image of how the repositioned bollard could look (Image: Cormac/Cornwall Council)

He said: “While objections were received, the majority of the public supported the proposals. Support was also received from the town council and police.

“Therefore the relocation of the rising bollard and associated gateway features shall be implemented to support the current Pedestrian Zone restriction and the objectives of the adopted Neighbourhood Plan.”

He said in response to concerns about loss of disabled parking at Church Street car park during Pedestrian Zone hours, additional disabled parking will be proposed at Well Lane car park and Bank Place, meaning a total six additional spaces.

Construction is provisionally earmarked for early autumn 2024.

The move was opposed by many traders who said it would kill the high street but, in the end, only 24 traders contributed to the consultation out of 134 respondents.

This was despite rowdy traders’ meetings where the majority of those who attended said they were against it.

Falmouth town councillor David Saunby said he was very disappointed at the result which would meant the loss of parking spaces in the other car parks.

“I must admit, I was very disappointed by the response from the traders in the town,” he said. “It was a very, very poor response. They could have turned this result around.

The bollard will be moved from its current site to the entrance of Market Street (Image: Cormac/Cornwall Council))

“Having done a private survey, the overwhelming number were against moving the bollard and the loss of car parking spaces.”

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One of the consultees who received the notification said in a Facebook post: “Even though the vast majority of the comments I've seen are against this waste of money and the council still do not know what underground services and drainage might have to be moved, it is going ahead anyway.

“It goes against the town plan and will remove more general parking - this time in Well Lane car park and Bank Place.”

Church Street has been the subject of a traffic restriction order since 2022 restricting traffic from using the road between 11am and 4pm.

However a lack of enforcement led to complaints about a rise in the number of vehicles now entering the road during the pedestrian zone restricted hours.

It is hoped relocating the rising bollard currently positioned on Church Street, to the gateway to the restricted area at the start of Market Street will solve the problem.