A SOLUTION to a blocked access route could be in sight as Liskeard Town Council pushes for action on behalf of residents.

A ramp and footpath at the former Cattle Market has been fenced off since July, and is set to be closed until Cornwall Council’s new Integrated Services Hub is completed.

Residents in Varley Lane and beyond and users of the Liskerrett Centre have been obliged to go the long way around via narrow roads with no footpath. Parking at the Cattle Market is also restricted, and the situation has been particularly stressful for people with limited mobility, who relied on the ramp either to get to the community centre, or from this area of Liskeard to the town centre.

A petition calling for a safe route to be reinstated has surpassed 1,200 signatures. Liskeard Town Council has also formally requested that Cornwall Council meet again to see if a solution can be found.

The local authority has pledged to explore options for opening the ramp before the end of construction.

Head of property at Cornwall Council Kevin Reader said: “We will be arranging a meeting with Liskeard Town Council.

“A number of alternative options for providing an access route were suggested, and we have carefully considered them all, but unfortunately, none are viable options.

“We are currently looking into the timing of the design and construction of a new ramp, to see if there could be a point in the build, where a new route can be opened, but this is subject to a detailed assessment and liaison with all parties involved.”

Resident Susan Quinlan said: “No one (from Cornwall Council) has spoken to us about how we feel about being left with no safe access to town. It feels like we’ve been abandoned to our fate. But the Town Council has been very helpful.”

With darker evenings, the unlit Varley Lane is now more dangerous than ever, she said. And she has “nearly been squashed” several times on the alternative route via Limes Lane, which also has no pavement.

Resident Heather Simmons said that she was worried most about the safety of the elderly.

“I’m lucky in that I drive, but the build is affecting me in a huge way, as because of the loss of parking, and the number of people using the Liskerrett Centre, I’m often blocked in. I can’t get right of way onto my own drive.”

Given that routes around the building site have been discounted, Susan Quinlan feels the only option is to pedestrianise part of Varley Lane – or at the very least, to introduce one way traffic.

“Being consulted, on something that is going to affect us until the work is finished, is now a matter of prinicple for residents.”