A Penryn town councillor has asked whether plans for highways work tied to the expansion of the university campus at Tremough is a sign that green transport plans have failed.

The council's planning committee was discussing plans to alter the double roundabout at Treliever which is linked to the proposal to increase the number of students at the Penryn Campus by 2,500.

Councillor Shelley Peters said: "If they are saying that if the student number reaches a certain level we need to adjust the highways, it's like saying the university's green transport policy is neither here nor there because students will bring traffic. There will be an impact and we need to make adjustments to the roads."

Councillor John Langan said: "It's not saying that their policy doesn't work, but they know there will be an increase in numbers, there will be more cars. It's not saying the policy's failed."

Mrs Peters replied: "But it's like they're saying they expect a number of students to bring cars."

Mr Langan said he felt it was just "sensible planning."

The discussion had been over the highways plan, which was a missed out of previous discussions on the raising of the student cap.

The council's opinion will be added to their previous comments when the matter comes back before Cornwall Council, but Penryn's councillors were told they unable to change any earlier opinions they had provided.

The committee voted in favour of the improvements, with one objection and one abstention, while councillors Mark Snowdon and David Garwood were absent from the discussion, having declared an interest in the matter.

Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee deferred a decision at the start of January on the raising of the cap, to allow the Falmouth and Exeter Universities to provide more information on the future plans for the hub and rim model, and to negotiate a higher ratio of purpose built accommodation per student. Councillors hoped to decide the issue at the committee's March meeting.