CALLINGTON residents are being urged to make their views on a controversial one-way system before the deadline for the consultation runs out this Sunday (July 31).

The town council, which is leading the project, has delivered plan documents to every household in Callington in an effort to improve on the 'poor response' of 94 replies from residents to the first consultation held last year. There are more than 2,000 households in the town.

Parishes that surround the town — Stoke Climsland, Calstock, South Hill, Linkinhorne, St Dominick and St Mellion will also be consulted on the plans during August.

There are currently three options on the table after the majority of businesses opposed the original option to make Church Street one-way up, Well Street one-way down and partial one-way in Fore Street, saying it was 'a complicated system' which would put people off coming to the town.

However, a proposed pedestrian crossing at the junction of Saltash Road and Tavistock Road was popular.

Traders have continued to voice their opposition to all three options, despite the third one, leaving Church Street, the most controversial part of the scheme, as two-way traffic. Their campaign has included posters 'No Way to One Way' in shop windows and a protest at the recent Callington Carnival.

Gail Buttery from the Callington Traders' Association said she and the rest of the business community failed to see how this one way system would make the town more accessible and enhance it or mitigate the effect of the Tesco supermarket on town traders.

Although a one-way system was desired by the public in the town plan in 2005, that was six years ago and the town had changed since then, she said.

She said the town centre had been really quiet since Tesco opened on the outskirts of Callington a year ago: 'Why implement a traffic management scheme when there is no traffic to manage?' she added.

The cash for the one-way scheme has come from Tesco as its contribution to the community and forms part of a legal agreement called a Section 106.

Traders have asked for the money to be used for another purpose like subsidising Cornwall Council's car park in the town to encourage people to come and shop in Callington.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: 'The Section 106 is quite specific about the projects which can be funded by this agreement, ie, improved pedestrian linkages from the store to the town centre, a review of town centre parking restrictions and a review of the speed limit along Tavistock Road. 

'There is no discretion to use this money for other purposes. The actual design of these changes is not included in the agreement and this can be amended following the consultation process.'

Town and Cornwall councillor Andrew Long said he had taken legal advice and buying or subsidising a Cornwall Council car park was not acceptable.

'The 2005 town plan highlighted the need for a pedestrian area and one-way system — it was raised first by the public not the town council,' he said. 'The council is doing what the town plan asked.

'In order to get a pedestrian crossing we need to create a partial free-up of one of the phases on the traffic lights — which is what any of the three options bring us. This is following the advice from the Highways Department.'

Residents can register their views at the Callington Town Council offices.

At a meeting of Callington Town Council this week, where traders once again raised their concerns about the plans, town councillors stressed that it was not just motorists but pedestrians that had to be considered as people were currently taking their lives into their hands crossing the junction of Saltash Road and Tavistock Road.

One-way traffic up Church Street would also allow for the widening of the pavement so parents with pushchairs and people in wheelchairs would not have to go out onto the road.