Plans for bridge to connect Truro scrapped

The lifting bridge was estimated to have cost up to £6.86m

A planning application for a bridge to connect two parts of Truro has been scrapped and could be replaced by a cheaper alternative.

The Truro Town Deal Board axed the plans which would have seen the bridge - known as a lifting bridge - connect Truro's Boscawen Park with Newham.

The proposed new design would be for a bridge which would have a pivot point on the western quay.

The estimated amount for the original plans were between £6.25 and £6.86m, and the new amount would cost between £5.36m and £5.86m.

'Huge challenge'

The new project has also been awarded about £812,000 in Cornwall Council match funding, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A revised planning application for the updated bridge design is expected to be submitted in the autumn.

Should planning permission be granted, construction could start in spring 2027, for completion by the end of 2027 or early 2028.

Alan Stanhope, chair of the Truro Town Deal Board, said: "The board has faced a huge challenge in the delivery of our plan against rising costs of construction and materials.

"We therefore welcomed the opportunity earlier this year to revisit the design and mechanism of the bridge with the view of reducing costs."