A community association in Truro is celebrating after it was announced that a well-used informal pedestrian route alongside a busy main road will be repaired.

Connecting Penair Crescent with St Clement Vean, this currently muddy verge is used by hundreds of local residents, schoolchildren, and walkers.

In the past year it has become slippery and worn due to increased use. Concerns have been raised locally that were it be a permanent footpath, then certain journeys by car would be reduced, as for example, getting to the local shops would no longer mean having to cross the busy Tregolls Road twice.

The walkway is around 400 yards long and Truro City Council has already confirmed support for the scheme and will relocate the 'Welcome to Truro' sign to its rightful place further up Tregolls Road where the city boundary actually is.

Chair of Beechwood Parc Community Association Karen Moore said: 'With support from our Cornwall councillor Loic Rich and city councillor Carol Swain, Beechwood Parc Residents Association undertook a survey of 470 households to build support for this campaign to turn the muddy and slippery verge into a pavement suitable for walkers, wheelchair users, school children, and parents with pushchairs.'

Coun Loic Rich added: 'There are various services and signs that have meant improving this walkway has been difficult in terms of funding from Cornwall Council, but this is a very busy road with some dangerous levels of speeding.

"This will keep pedestrians safer, and encourage more people to walk to the shops /school /local facilities without thinking they need to take the car or cross the road two times to circumvent it.' Describing the community response to the surveying carried out by Beechwood Parc Community Assocation, Coun Carol Swain said: "We had a considerable number of replies from the local community. We got a range of feedback about how people value their local environment and would prefer to walk or cycle if the infrastructure and safety measures were in place. The multitude of positive responses mean this will be a much needed and much valued asset to our community.'