Truro’s New Life for City Buildings project has provided almost £1.3million of grant funding to support schemes which are transforming the empty upper floors of buildings in the centre of the city into high quality living and working space.
Once all the works have been completed at the end of next year, the schemes will deliver up to 22 additional residential properties, providing new homes for at least 50 people in the centre of the city and supporting the regeneration of the local economy. As well as encouraging more people to live, work and visit the city, the scheme will also help to protect and maintain some of Truro’s historic buildings and has also created new commercial space.
Led by Truro City Council via The Truro Regeneration Company CIC, the New Life for City Buildings (NLCB) project was awarded £3.3 million of Town Deal funding in 2024 to revitalise the city by supporting the refurbishment, renovation and repurposing of buildings and unoccupied upper floors. Almost £1.3 million was allocated to support schemes bringing empty spaces above retail shops back into residential or commercial use, with the remaining £2m ring fenced for buying and regenerating unused buildings.
Truro Regeneration Company CIC (Regenco), the organisation set up by the City Council to deliver the project, has now awarded all the funding allocated to the New Life for City Buildings project. 10 individual schemes have received grants to help carry out their renovation and conversions works. As well as providing much-needed additional homes, the project has also unlocked over £1.8 million of private sector investment in the city.
Welcoming the awarding of the final grant to the owners of 10 Frances Street, Rupert Hume-Kendall, Chair of Regenco, said that the project has already seen people moving into the first building to be converted.
“Earlier this year we saw the completion of the first scheme to be awarded a New Life for City Buildings grant and the new residents are due to move into the flats created with support from the NLCB on the 1st of December 2025“ he said. “Now the Board has just awarded the final grant.
“I am delighted by the success of this project and look forward to seeing all 10 schemes completed and people moving into their new homes by the end of next year”.
“I am very proud to be associated with this project “ said Truro Mayor Chris Wells. “It will help revitalise the heart of the city by boosting the local economy and providing places for people to live and work. It also helps to demonstrate how Truro City Council is taking a proactive approach towards regenerating our City Centre and delivering activity that supports the Economy objectives outlined in our new strategy. We are also leading the way in delivering ‘living over the shop’ accommodation in line with policy EJ2 of the Truro and Kenwyn Neighbourhood Plan”.
The first grant awarded by the Regenco Board was to the Truro Development Company Ltd, owned by husband-and-wife Tony and Cynthia Martin, in November 2024.
The couple were seeking to convert an empty three storey building in New Bridge Street, previously used as a restaurant, to provide accommodation on the first two floors and a commercial unit on the ground floor. They used the £147,679.97 grant to provide two well-designed two-bedroom apartments that are now helping to meet the growing demand for housing in central Truro, together with a high-quality commercial space on one of Truro’s busiest retail streets.
“The support we received from the NLCB project and Regenco was invaluable “ said Tony Martin. “It not only enabled us to undertake a bigger scheme 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”.
Since then, a further 9 grants have been awarded to a range of schemes spread across the centre of Truro in properties on River Street, King Street, River Street, Little Castle Street, Kenwyn Street, Fairmantle Street and Haven House.
These include :
24 King Street – the upper floor of this Grade 2 listed building, owned by Stewart and Wight Ltd, is being converted into a two-bedroom duplex flat which will provide family accommodation. The ground floor of the building, which is currently the home of So Sweet, is remaining as a retail property.
The scheme, which was awarded a grant of £149,573.50 towards the costs of the refurbishment, is being managed by Paul Harrison who says it will help breathe life into the High Street.
“The grant made the scheme financially viable where previously it would have sadly been dismissed” said Paul Harrison. “This would have been an enormous shame as this building has a lovely façade coupled with remarkable views of the Cathedral.”
29 River Street – this scheme will see the upper floors of the Grade II listed building converted into residential accommodation which will then be let to an organisation providing social housing. The Cornwall Air Ambulance charity shop currently on ground floor will remain.
The scheme is being managed by brothers Jeremy and Peter Cross whose family have owned the property since 1948. Building work has begun, with the new accommodation expected to be ready to welcome its first residents at the end of March.
“29 River Street is a very well-known building in Truro” said Jeremy Cross. “Built in the 1850s, the building was originally home to a “grand family”, with servants’ quarters in the attic and reception rooms complete with bells on the first floor. By the 1940s it had become the premises of Rickards Prams and Toys.
“My grandfather bought the building in 1948 and continued to run the business with my father until the 1980s when my father retired and the premises was let to Casa Fina and then later to White Stuff.
“This building has been in my family for more than 70 years and we are very pleased to be helping it return to its roots by providing much needed accommodation “.
105 Kenwyn Street – (better known as Archie Browns Health Food Shop) – this scheme will see the top floor of the building, previously run as a café, converted into a two-bedroom apartment with the health food shop continuing to operate on the ground floor. A separate outbuilding at the rear of the property will also be converted into a two-bedroom apartment.
Planning permission for the scheme was granted earlier this year, with work due to begin on the conversion in the New Year. Once completed the apartments will be available to rent.
Helen Swift, co-director of archie browns, is very clear about the importance of the £200,000 grant funding both to the scheme and to the long-term sustainability of the business. “As everyone knows this is a very difficult time for high streets. While we managed to find a range of short term tenants for the empty space above the shop and the outbuilding over the past few months, we knew we needed to have a steady income stream to enable the shop to continue.
“We had decided to repurpose the outbuilding into accommodation when I remembered hearing something about grants being available to support the renovation of buildings in the centre of the city. The BID put me in touch with the people leading the NLCB project and our application was successful. This means we can now also turn the former café space into accommodation – providing two flats rather than just one”.
“The funding from Truro Town Deal has made a huge difference to our scheme and our lives ” she said. “As well as providing places for people to live, the income from the flats will help to secure the future of the shop.
15 River Street – this scheme will see the two upper floors of the Grade II listed building converted from commercial space to two self-contained flats, with the ground floor remaining available for commercial use.
Owned by the same family since the early 1960s, the Grade II listed building is currently empty. The works, which will require listed building consent as well as planning permission, are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Market Inn – this scheme involves renovating the first floor of the premises to create a one-bedroom apartment for use by the new tenant of the pub. Work is due to begin at the beginning of December, with the pub expected to re-open at the end of March.
62/63 Fairmantle Street – this scheme, which was awarded a grant of £119,364.98, is being carried out by Chytek Limited, a Truro based family run business which works with Cornwall Council to provide safe, comfortable, and fully equipped homes for local families who find themselves in urgent need.
“This scheme is especially close to our hearts” said Phillipa Lusty. “Situated on a busy street in the centre of the city, this property had been empty for a number of years and was sitting alone amid a row of terraced cottages looking very tired and unkempt. Our vision was to bring it back to life — converting the building into six modern apartments while restoring its frontage to its original design, recreating the charm of two traditional cottages.
“While it has been a really fun and exciting scheme, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Along the way, we’ve faced all sorts of unexpected challenges, but thanks to the incredible support of local professionals, construction teams, and tradespeople, we’ve managed to keep pushing forward. We’re finally nearing the finish line, and we couldn’t be prouder of what’s been achieved together.
“Our hope is that our work will continue to contribute to making a positive difference in our community. Looking ahead we plan to grow our business and explore new ways to tackle homelessness and improve housing affordability for local families.”
Grants have also been awarded to schemes at 57A Little Castle Street; 10 Frances Street and The Green at Haven House.
Earlier this year 15/16 King Street, one of the most prominent buildings in the city which was formerly used by Top Shop, became the first property to be directly purchased by Regenco.
Whilst the detail of the refurbishment programme is still being developed, it is likely that the regeneration of the building will see the upper three floors of the building refurbished to provide residential accommodation although office space is another option should demand be demonstrated. The ground floor is currently leased to two tenants who will remain in place and will therefore be unaffected by the refurbishment.
“Converting the upper floors of this prominent building in the centre of the city into a place where people can live and work will play a key role in boosting the economy of Truro at the same time as providing much needed residential accommodation” said Rupert Hume-Kendall, Chair of Regenco.
“This scheme also represents an exciting investment opportunity that will not only secure the future of this key building in the centre of the city and provide new high-quality homes for local people, but will also produce ongoing revenue which can then be used to help regenerate other properties in the city”.