Only half of intended Cornwall access trails to be built

An independent review says plans for Cornwall Saints Trails were "undeliverable" from the beginning

A multi-million pound project to create new trails in Cornwall will only create half of its intended routes, an independent review has found.

The first two stretches of the Saints Trails project routes were opened to the public in November 2022.

The cost of the project was split between Cornwall Council, National Highways and the European Regional Development Fund.

A review found the project had been "undeliverable" since the beginning.

It stated: "The project appears to have gained an unstoppable momentum even though, at the time the decision to proceed with the Saints Trails project was taken, the "red flags" in relation to timescale for completion, budget and land assembly including the likely need for compulsory purchase order were apparent.

"The project was undeliverable in its original form within the parameters agreed with National Highways."

The audit committee found the project was running £5m over budget in January 2021, causing it to cut back the project's original plans of four trails being built - to only one.

Only 51% of the project will now be completed by autumn 2023, although it will still cost and take the same amount of time as the original plans.

The 32-page review said the time given to acquire land for the project was unattainable from the very start.

It said: "The overwhelmingly positive response from public consultation overshadowed a realistic assessment of the difficulties that would be encountered in land acquisition, which ultimately led to the much reduced scope of the National Highways funded Saints Trails.

"It is clear that council officers put a great deal of effort into trying to deliver what proved to be undeliverable within the constraints they had to work within, particularly in relation to timescales."