Cliff Road in Newquay set for a September shake-up

If you drive, cycle or walk into Newquay along Cliff Road, your route into town is about to look very different. From September, one of the main approaches to the town centre becomes a building site, and it will stay that way into next spring.

The work is the next phase of the Mid Cornwall Metro Cliff Road Improvements, and it is due to start on 7 September 2026. Site set-up begins at the end of August, with completion targeted for late spring 2027. The programme is still subject to ongoing liaison with utility providers, so those dates could move.

What is being built

The scheme covers Cliff Road between Oakleigh Terrace and Edgecumbe Avenue. The stated aim is to make the road safer and easier to use for people walking, wheeling, cycling and catching public transport, and to give Newquay a more welcoming entrance to the town centre and the Station Quarter.

The list of works is long. There will be a new cycle route, wider footways and public realm improvements, a new pedestrian crossing, changes to kerbs and the road layout, drainage, ducting and utility works, and fresh surfacing and road markings.

The parking that goes, and what replaces it

Some of the existing on-street parking on Cliff Road will be removed. That space is being used for the wider footways, shared routes and extra crossing points, which means the trade-off for a smarter street is fewer places to leave the car on the road itself.

To offset the loss, the project points to extra parking nearby. Tolcarne car park will be free after 4pm until 31 October, then free all day from 1 November to 31 March. Oakleigh Terrace gains eight new on-street spaces with up to an hour of free parking. The free window at Newquay Railway Station goes up from 20 to 30 minutes. And outside Wetherspoons there will be three new disabled parking bays, with the free period extended from 30 minutes to an hour.

How traffic will move

While the work is underway, the main arrangement will be a one-way system on Cliff Road, with traffic travelling away from the town centre. Drivers heading towards the centre will follow a signed diversion. Temporary lane closures and traffic signals may also be needed at certain stages.

Pedestrian access will be kept open throughout. If the access to any individual property has to change temporarily, the project says those properties will be contacted in advance.

Where to find updates

Cornwall Council acknowledges that Cliff Road is a key route into Newquay and that the works may cause some short-term disruption, adding that every effort will be made to keep inconvenience down while keeping road users, pedestrians and the workforce safe. The scheme has been shared locally by Newquay BID.

Further updates will be posted through Cornwall Council’s Newquay active travel page as the programme develops. Anyone with questions or concerns can call 0300 1234 222 or email [email protected].

📷Credit: Cornwall Council