Cornwall cycle trails scheme runs £5m over budget

Funding for the scheme linking Newquay, Perranporth, St Newlyn East, St Agnes and Truro was given in 2019

A plan to create four new cycle trails in Cornwall has run more than £5m over budget.

The Saints Trails project for 30km (18 miles) of cycleways was to cost £19.1m but is now expected to hit £25m, auditors told Cornwall Council.

Auditors also said the "high risk" project would miss the deadline for completion.

However, a Cornwall Council director says he is "absolutely determined" the project will be delivered on budget.

Auditors added the scheme had not been managed in the way such a high profile venture should.

The project linking Newquay, Perranporth, St Newlyn East, St Agnes and Truro was launched in 2019.

Funding included £17.1m from Highways England and £2m from the council but the "total forecast spend is likely to be circa £25m", said an auditors report which will be considered by councillors later, the LDRS reported.

The Highways England funding had originally included a requirement to be spent by March 2021 but the council has negotiated to extend that to March 2022.

However, the report to the audit committee states that it may not be able to meet that deadline.

Auditors said the need to use compulsory purchase powers of land to build the routes may mean that the land is not acquired until June 2023.

Auditors said that the initial timeline for the project "failed to take into account the timescales involved for the Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) and potential public inquiries to acquire the required land for the proposed routes".

Council director Phil Mason said the £5m forecast overspend would only occur if all the risks highlighted came to fruition.

If the project looked likely to go over budget, the director said he would take action to reduce costs, but admitted that could mean the trails would not be as high quality as originally envisaged.