Completion of ambitious plan to improve travel in and around Penzance
Two years ago members of the Penzance Town Deal Board gave the green light to an ambitious plan to reduce the impact of vehicles within the town and give more space and priority to people walking, cycling and wheeling.
The Penzance Sustainable Travel Network project has involved redesigning key areas of Penzance town centre, with a series of individual schemes aimed at improving travel in and around Penzance and creating a sustainable network of safe and accessible walking, cycling and functional green and open urban spaces. The project has received £3.5 million from the government’s Town Deal programme and £3 million from Cornwall Council.
With all schemes now substantially complete, members of Penzance Town Deal Board and Penzance Town Council joined representatives of the Sustainable Travel Town Deal Project team, local councillors and officers from Cornwall Council, Cormac, Network Rail and GWR this week for a tour of four of the schemes : Ponsandane Park & Cycle, Penzance bus station and Branwells Gyratory, Market Jew Street and Market Place and Causewayhead.
As well as seeing the results of the different schemes, the event provided an opportunity for the partners to talk with some of the local residents and businesses who are benefiting from the improvements.
“It is great to see the completion of the schemes” said Martin Tucker, Chair of Penzance Town Deal Board. “The aim of the Sustainable Travel project was to make Penzance more accessible and enable people to feel safe as they are moving around. I am delighted with what has been achieved so far and look forward to seeing the final elements at Coinagehall Street and Battery Road completed.
“This has been a complex project with several different schemes and a number of different partners. While there have certainly been some challenges on the way, I am very proud of the way in which everyone has worked together to deliver our ambition to open up the town and provide greener and more welcoming streets where people can walk around freely and enjoy everything that Penzance has to offer”.
With one of the key aims of the project to encourage more people to choose more sustainable methods of transport when entering the town, it was fitting to see a number of members of the group swapping their cars for e-bikes to travel from Ponsandane to the bus station.
“As Project Lead, I have seen first-hand the value of strong partnership working in bringing this programme forward “ said Kieren Couch. “The schemes have required close coordination between the Town Deal Board, Cornwall Council, delivery partners, local members, businesses and the community, all working towards a shared vision for a more connected, accessible and sustainable Penzance. The real value of the investment is reflected in the outcomes now being delivered — safer and more attractive routes, improved links between different forms of transport, better public spaces and a town centre that supports residents, visitors and local businesses.
The first scheme completed as part of the project delivered safe, improved access to Newlyn Green for all pedestrians, including those in wheelchairs, or with prams, across New Road, a busy commuter and tourist route between Penzance and Newlyn. Completed by Cormac in March 2025, the scheme included the construction of two signalised puffin crossings – one at Bowling Green and one at Newlyn Green – and new steps and ramps at the entrance to the park. A new vehicle activated 20 mph sign (VAS) was also installed to help reduce vehicle speeds.
This was followed by the scheme at Causewayhead. Designed to enhance the environment for people walking and cycling and provide a more attractive gateway into Penzance, work on this scheme began in January 2025 and was completed by the middle of July 2025.
Previously seen as an unattractive gateway into the town for people who live or arrive from the north, Causewayhead had also experienced problems with “rat running” and was vehicle dominant. The scheme, which was amended following consultation with the local community, enhances pedestrian and cycling connectivity. It also compliments the new Pixel building and creates a more attractive and healthy street environment for all. Specific enhancements include footway improvements on Causewayhead through installing new granite and tactile paving, the carriageway has been fully resurfaced with new road markings, with new decorative landscaping and street furniture such as benches and bicycle stands in pedestrian areas.
Work on the schemes to reduce the dominance of vehicles at Market Jew Street and Market Place and creating a safer and more attractive environment for people walking and cycling began in July 2025. It was completed in March 2026, following incorporation of additional improvements that extended the overall duration of the scheme.
The works on Market Jew Street reinforced the existing pedestrian zone by creating a more effective gateway and improving the environment for non-motorised users and those accessing the town by public transport. The overall streetscape and soft landscaping have been enhanced, supporting the distinctive character and attractiveness, encouraging more people into the centre of the town.
The scheme at the Bus Station and Branwells Gyratory is part of Cornwall’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), also led by Cornwall Council in partnership with bus operators, which aims to enhance public transport by creating more reliable, affordable, and integrated bus services.
The investment around the bus station supports the improvements made through Penzance as part of the Sustainable Travel Network by improving connectivity with bus and rail services, encouraging greater use of public transport and creating a safer, more accessible environment for pedestrians and passengers.
The scheme also includes the installation of a new subscription-based cycle parking hub in a prominent location within Harbour Car Park. This resident-focused facility supports people travelling into the town, or continuing their journey by public transport, by providing secure cycle parking.
The most recent scheme to be completed is Ponsandane Park & Cycle. Aimed at encouraging people arriving by car to leave their vehicle and switch to more sustainable methods of transport. The works have included the construction of a new 62 space car park on the former railway sidings on the main approach road into Penzance where people can park their cars and switch to a bike to ride along the coast path into the town centre. 5 of the spaces have been specifically marked as accessible parking spaces.
Beryl, who operate the public bike hire in Cornwall, have dedicated provision at the facility and there is also cycle stands for those who wish to leave cycles at the Park & Cycle for convenience.
To improve accessibility the footway along the A30 site frontage was also widened, together with adjustments to the street lighting, the installation of new tactile crossing points and links to the existing pelican crossing. Wide grassland areas have been provided along the southern boundary and at either end of the site, with a species-rich hedge, with bird boxes, planted along the northern boundary to the highway.
Bogdan Lupu, Industry Programme Director, Network Rail & GWR said “The Ponsandane Park & Cycle scheme shows what’s possible when partners work together, delivering lasting change for communities, not just the railway. “The Network Rail and GWR £6.5 million investment to relocate the sidings freed this land for sustainable travel while also allowing us to run longer trains in Cornwall, putting more capacity in front of passengers.
“We’re proud to have worked alongside Cornwall Council, the Penzance Town Deal Board and others to help this community prosper, and to deliver the kind of connected, greener journeys that matter for Cornwall’s future.”
The final scheme is at Coinagehall Street and Battery Road. Designed to support safer, more attractive pedestrian and cycling provision, linking the Southwest Coast Path and Penzance railway station with the Promenade and Penzance Harbour, the scheme also compliments nearby developments, including the Town Deal funded Penzance Harbour and Treveth development (PZ Gallery) projects.
Now nearing completion, these works include the installation of a new zebra crossing supporting those accessing the harbour, enhanced traffic calming, improved footways and changes to the local vehicle traffic circulation through incorporation of one-way streets.
“We are proud to have worked alongside Cornwall Council, the Penzance Town Deal Board, BID team, Town Council and other partners and stakeholders to deliver these important improvements across Penzance” said Steve Worthington, from Cormac.
“This has been a complex programme of work involving multiple sites in a busy town environment and we would like to thank residents, businesses and visitors for their patience throughout the works.”
“The completed schemes have enhanced the experience of visiting the town and will help create safer, more accessible and better-connected routes for people walking, cycling and using public transport in and around Penzance.”
