The main news last week was the Budget Statement. There was
lots of good news for Cornwall including positive changes to Universal Credit,
more money for the NHS and cutting stamp duty for first time house buyers.
However, there was also some great news locally for the St Austell area. The
Budget included confirmation from the Chancellor that the Government would be
providing £79m of funding for the dedicated link road from St Austell to the
A30.
This is truly amazing news and represents one of the biggest
investments ever in our transport infrastructure in mid-Cornwall. In my
election campaigns in both 2015 and this year I said securing this funding
would be my top priority for this area and I am delighted to be delivering on
this commitment.
This road will provide a direct link from the A30 to St
Austell - reducing the journey times and will bring massive economic benefits. In
a consultation in 2012 this road was the number one priority for local
businesses. It will also solve the problems residents of the villages of Bugle,
Stenalees and Roche have been experiencing with heavy traffic going through
their communities, particularly close to local schools, using roads that were simply not designed for
that volume of traffic In the run up to the General Election this year, these
problems were the number one issue raised with me on the door in these
communities and I am pleased, just five months down the line, to have delivered
what I promised, and secured the funding from the Government to help solve this
issue.
This is a road that many people have talked about for years
and I am pleased to have finally got the ball rolling on it as your MP and as
part of a Conservative Government. I am very grateful for the support of
Cornwall Council officers, local councillors Sally-Anne Saunders and John Wood,
as well as the St Austell Bay Economic Forum (SABEF) on behalf of the wider
business community.
I have already met with the Head of Transport of Cornwall
Council to discuss this news and keep the momentum going. We now have to go
through the planning process and hope that construction will begin in 2019.
Rest assured that I will be doing everything in my power to ensure this project
goes ahead as soon as possible and we get the road built for the benefit of the
whole community.
My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and
work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support.
The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no
appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on
then please, either visit the office or contact me on either 01726 829379 or
office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only,
advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
