The trail was opened in 2023 after costing around £13 million (Image: Google)
A popular walkway connecting the towns of Perranporth and Goonhavern could be an “accident waiting to happen” if cars are allowed to use it as an access route to a new , locals have suggested. Residents on the idyllic stretch of North Cornwall coast have fiercely opposed plans to open up the Saints Trail, a £13 million footpath running between the two towns that was unveiled in 2023, to motor traffic.
The walkway has become popular with locals and visitors alike keen to escape the hustle and bustle of the county’s roads, but plans for a new glamping site in a nearby field could turn the seclusion of the pretty route on its head. If a planning application is approved, a 100-metre stretch of the route could be used as an access route for cars to the camping grounds. What’s more, ‘s planning officers have recommended approval of the plans – spurring residents to ramp up their efforts to have the project overturned.
: [REPORT]
The trail connects the coastal areas of Perranporth and Goonhavern (Image: Getty)
“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” the Friends of the Saints Trail group told CornwallLive. “The trail at this point is [already] so narrow, it’s impossible to pass a vehicle, let alone see one coming due to the bend in the lane and the tight corner.
“It’s just a farm field at the moment with only one car that comes and goes occasionally.”
A spokesperson for the group added that while it wasn’t opposed to local tourism, it was worried at the prospect of “someone [getting] badly hurt”. “How is it safe for a load of cars and vans to be driving along a narrow cycle trail, several times a day each, right into the path of kids on bikes, or meeting horses or electric wheelchairs coming the other way?” they asked.
Don’t miss… [REPORT] [REPORT] [REPORT]
The local parish council also hit out at the plans, suggesting they were “unneighbourly” and could cause noise issues. Campaigners also flagged that green-lighting the vehicle access could set a worrying precedent for incursions onto other rights of way around the county.
However, Cornwall Council looks set to plough ahead with the scheme regardless. The local authority’s planning department has insisted that the impact of cars passing a section of the trail would be “modest” and suggested that it “offers sufficient visibility to see oncoming vehicles and other users such as cycles or pedestrians”.
Residents from Perranporth and Goonhavern reportedly plan to stage a protest outside a council meeting on the project next week.