Campaigners say new road section will destroy wildlife

PROTESTERS against work to widen the A30 between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross roundabouts claim it aims to create a new “expressway” which was “originally sold to people in Cornwall as dualling”.

The group, called These Fields Have Names, also says that historic Cornish fields are being bulldozed with the loss of hundreds of trees to make way for the road, “trashing 8.7 miles of countryside”.

The Government’s Road Investment Strategy includes a commitment to improve the A30 between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross roundabouts to dual carriageway standard at a cost of £330 million.

Funding for the scheme includes a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund of £8 million towards its development costs, with a further £12 million allocated for the construction phase. The work is due to finish in 2023/24.

The group These Fields Have Names, along with various environmental groups and some local farmers have condemned the work.

The campaigners said: “In 2021, Cornwall Council begun construction work on a new expressway. It was originally sold to people in Cornwall as a dualling. The expressway is a new road, and not a ‘dualling’. The expressway is a major new road scheme in addition to the existing stretch of A30. It will destroy a wide swathe of countryside, divide rural communities. It is completely incompatible with Cornwall Council’s declaration of Climate Emergency.”