A major cycling project looks set to be scaled back after a council scrapped some sections over costs. The £19m Saints Trails project aimed to put in place 19 miles of safe routes for cyclists and walkers in Cornwall, with £17.1m provided by Highways England, now known as National Highways, and £2m set to come from Cornwall Council. Plans were in place for four trails, but now two will be scrapped and one scaled back, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The Perranporth to Newquay scheme remains intact, with work having already started on it, although planned bridges, which would have taken cyclists over roads, have been removed from the route. Cornwall Council has also decided that Trispen to Truro and St Newlyn East to Carland Cross will not be created. The section from St Agnes to Chiverton Cross has been scaled back and instead of a dedicated route the Council is looking at 15 cycle paths running on existing roads. National Highways confirmed £1m of the money it gave to the council has been taken back, and Council Leader Linda Taylor announced that the authority would not proceed with compulsory purchase orders of the land needed for the project. Nick Aldworth, from National Highways, commented that ‘This approach will save around £1m against the original £19m investment, meaning it remains one of the largest cycling infrastructure investments ever in the region’. (Jeff Vinter)