Up to 4,000 new homes could be built in Truro as a result of a £47 million investment in infrastructure announced today.

The money will be spent on a new northern access road in the city, which will connect up to a new A390 junction at Penstraze in the west and go through to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in the east.

This will run parallel to the north of the existing A390 between Threemilestone and Treliske, and the public will be able to view the proposals for the 3.5km route as part of a planning application to be submitted in spring next year.

Subject to the necessary permissions, work is expected to start in summer 2020 and be completed in winter 2022.

The plan is for the new road to help cut congestion and open up the way for thousands of homes to be built alongside new schools, a community centre and a planned sports stadium.

Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for housing Andrew Mitchell said: “Building homes for local people is a key priority of this council. We have already agreed to invest to bring forward and co-ordinate a high quality housing scheme to establish a community rather than a series of housing estates.

"This government funding announcement means that the proposed council intervention to provide access to kick start house building is a step closer.

“We want to reduce reliance on the car in support of our climate change commitments, so the new route will provide walking and cycling along its entire length. The funding will help us integrate the route with our wider ambition for cycle routes from the north coast into Truro.”

The spending, under the Housing Infrastructure Fund, is all part of the government’s drive to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP said: “For decades, governments of all stripes and types have not built enough new homes, and we need to see urgent action to turn that around.

“This £47 million investment in Truro will mean the town is ready to support thousands of much-needed new homes.

“We are making money available in Cornwall so we can build more, better, faster and meet our ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.”

The funding comes from the Government’s £5.5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund so that land can be made ready for development.