Truro’s groundbreaking New Life for City buildings project, which is working to revitalise the city centre by supporting the refurbishment, renovation and repurposing of buildings and unoccupied upper floors, has reached a major milestone with the completion of the first project to be awarded a grant.
Led by Truro City Council, the New Life for City Buildings (NLCB) project is supporting owners and landowners in the city centre to transform empty floors in their properties into high quality living and working space, and where appropriate, to buy and regenerate underutilised buildings.
In November 2024, Truro Regeneration Company CIC (Regenco), set up by the City Council to deliver the project, awarded its first grant to Truro Development Company Ltd, owned by husband-and-wife Tony and Cynthia Martin.
The couple were seeking to convert an empty three storey building in New Bridge Street, previously used as a restaurant, to provide two-bedroom apartments, with ensuite, on the first and second floors, with a commercial unit on the ground floor.
Having made the decision to buy the building, which was used as offices by Furniss biscuits in the early 1880’s when their factory was based in Truro, Tony and Cynthia were originally planning to just tidy the building up when they heard about the possibility of applying for a grant from the New Life for City Buildings project. They decided to find out if they might be able to obtain funding from the scheme to do something more special and were delighted when their application proved successful.
The couple have used the £147,679.97 grant to provide two well-designed, high-quality two-bedroom apartments that will help meet the growing demand for housing in central Truro, and a high-quality commercial space which is large enough to accommodate more than one occupant on one of Truro’s busiest retail streets.
With the exciting project now complete, Tony and Cynthia are looking forward to seeing the first people move into their new accommodation.
“We are delighted to have finished this project which is bringing much needed accommodation and commercial opportunity right into the heart of the city” said Tony.
“The support we received from the NLCB project and Regenco was invaluable. It not only enabled us to undertake a bigger project than we could deliver on our own, but it also ensured we could deliver it to a higher standard, with real attention to quality and finish as well as greatly improved environmental performance” added Cynthia.
They are full of praise for the New Life for City Buildings project which, they say, is a fantastic initiative which is helping to unlock the potential of the city and create opportunities for the future.
“It is fantastic to see the completion of the first project to be awarded a New Life for City Buildings grant“ said Rupert Hume-Kendall, Chair of the Truro Regeneration Company CIC (Regenco).
“Tony gave me a tour of the redundant building before he applied for the grant and this scheme has brought the building back into sustainable use, providing much needed accommodation and a new space for businesses in the centre of the city” said Truro Mayor, Councillor Chris Wells. “I look forward to seeing other projects which have now been awarded grants come to fruition in the coming months. “
Two further businesses have been awarded grants from the New Life for City Buildings project and will start their refurbishment works over the summer once they have secured all the necessary planning consents.
These are :
- 24 King Street – this Grade 2 listed building is owned by Stewart and Wight Ltd. The ground floor will remain as a retail property with the unused space on the upper floors being converted to a duplex flat. £149,573.50 has been awarded as a contribution to the cost of the refurbishment works.
- 62/63 Fairmantle Street – this building is owned by Chytek Limited who provide emergency housing to Cornwall Council. The building was previously used entirely for commercial purposes and the refurbishment works will convert the building into 6 residential properties of varying sizes that will be used as temporary housing whilst the occupants secure longer term accommodation. £119,364.88 has been awarded as a contribution to the cost of the refurbishment works.
“This scheme will help breathe life into the High Street “ said Paul Harrison who is managing the 24 King Street project. “It’s far better to look up in the evenings and see the glow of curtain light rather than cobwebs and failing paintwork.
“From our perspective the grant makes the project financially viable where previously it would have sadly been dismissed. This would have been an enormous shame as this building has a lovely façade coupled with remarkable views of the Cathedral.”
One other business has been made an offer of grant which is expected to be signed shortly and there are also a number of further applications for NLCB grants in the pipeline.