Category: News

Are you looking for an opportunity to drive positive change for the community of Truro and help build the Truro of tomorrow?

The Truro Town Deal Board is looking for new members to join them at the exciting time of the City’s regeneration programme delivery which is made possible thanks to the Government’s Town Deal Fund.

In June 2021, Truro was awarded £23.6 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund to bring a step-change in how we live, work and enjoy Truro. This money will help us to future proof Truro whilst celebrating its unique character. Seven projects, set to transform our city and local economy, are now entering their delivery phase. Read more about the seven projects funded by the Town Deal here.

We are calling for leaders or developing leaders with the skills, confidence and the authority to bring their voice to the table in order to help shape and deliver the Town Investment Plan for Truro and support the City’s regeneration.

Find out more about the current members of the board here

Role Purpose

Members of the Truro Town Deal Board are expected to:

• Actively engage with all stakeholders, but particularly with the private sector (including the social enterprise and third sector) and further and higher education institutions to capture and engage their interest and facilitate their activity in Truro.
• Champion and oversee the delivery of the Truro Town Investment Plan.
• To actively participate in at least 4 Board meetings per annum, providing expert advice, guidance, insight and challenge to Board discussions.
• Be prepared to Chair a relevant Board sub-committee or strategy implementation committee or similar, where necessary and appropriate.
• Help ensure the Truro Town Deal Board actively reflects the businesses and people of Truro.

Commitment

It is envisaged that the role will require a time commitment of approximately two days per month with greater commitment at key programme milestones.

The precise nature and timing of this commitment will be determined with the successful candidate.

It is expected, as a minimum, that candidates should be prepared to attend 4 Board meetings lasting a maximum of three hours held at varying locations around Truro or via online methods.

Board members will also be encouraged to participate in activities between Board meetings which could involve chairing a subgroup and/or representing the Truro Town Deal Board and consultation events.

For more information about the Truro Town Deal, visit:

www.trurotownfund.com

How to apply

Please submit a covering letter outlining your motivation for applying and highlighting how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role of the board members, as set out in the role description (two sides of A4 maximum) and a copy of your CV by Friday 31st March by email: trurotowndeal@cornwall.gov.uk. Read the Role Profile here.

For a confidential discussion on the role in more details, please email: trurotowndeal@cornwall.gov.uk

Personal Data

In line with GDPR, we ask that you do not send us any information that can identify any of your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and / or biometric data) in your CV and application documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive Personal Data in your CV/application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to process this information going forward. Please also remember to not mention anyone’s information or details (e.g. referees) who have not previously agreed to their inclusio

A first tranche of funding has been released to Cornwall Council to enable Truro Town Deal projects to get underway.

Truro was allocated £23.6 million last year to deliver a package of seven transformational projects that together will enhance Truro as a “connected river city”.

Since then, business cases have been developed to enable the Government to sign off individual projects which will trigger the release of the funding.

Grant funding agreements will be issued to projects in the coming months, which will enable them to take positive steps towards achieving their goals of delivering improvements in the quality of life for local residents, supporting local businesses, and providing skills development opportunities.

Alan Stanhope, chair of Truro Town Deal board, said: “This is a huge milestone for Truro. We can start to draw down some significant investment and the real work can begin to put our projects into action.

 “This is a result of two years of exceptional work from a committed board of volunteers and a small team to develop our portfolio. Over the past six months, we’ve been working on very detailed business cases and it’s this behind-the-scenes effort that has enabled the Government to release the first part of our Town Deal funding. 

“We’re proud to be able to get finally started in delivering our vision for Truro as a connected river city.”

The £88.7 million Town Deal Funding allocated by the Government to Cornwall will be invested in over 30 projects and delivered across Truro, Camborne, Penzance and St Ives. As Lead Authority for the region, Cornwall Council has received the first instalment of £18.3 million for 2022 / 2023 for the four towns.

The seven Truro Town Deal projects submitted to Government are:

The Hive at Pydar

New Life for City Buildings

Boscawen Park Sports and Recreation Hub

Royal Cornwall Museum

Truro Harbour & Lemon Quay

Green Transport

Truro Community Hub

Cherilyn Mackrory, Member of Parliament for Truro, said: “This is the moment we have been waiting for. A lot of hard work by key local stakeholders has got us to where we are now with this project. This really is a game-changer for Truro which will allow us to start unlocking our city’s potential.

“Levelling Up is still at the heart of the Government’s agenda and decisions like these clearly demonstrate that. This pot of money will allow us to start investing in a variety of different projects in Truro that will benefit those who live, work and grow up here.”

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council cabinet member for economy, said: “With the first year of funding now in place, Truro – can now start to deliver on the projects that will make a difference to their communities.

“So much work has gone on behind the scenes to get to where we are today and confirmation that projects can now progress is testament to the commitment and vision of the Town Deal Boards.

“Cornwall Council will itself be delivering 11 ambitious projects across the four areas of Camborne, Truro, Penzance and St Ives using Town Deal funding to improve connectivity, public spaces, housing and offer grants to businesses. I have no doubt that these investments will revitalise the town – and city – centres, improving life for residents and creating sustainable communities now and into the future.”

Community engagement activity is continuing for some projects ahead of applications for planning permission, including Truro Community Hub and Boscawen Park Sports and Recreation Hub.

Truro has a chance to give feedback on exciting plans to bring enhanced recreation facilities to Boscawen Park.

The Truro City Council and Truro Town Deal teams will be holding community engagement events for Boscawen Park Sports and Recreation Hub with a chance for all ages to give feedback.

Plans will be on display on:

Wednesday 26th October – 9.30 am to 3 pm in Boscawen Park (to the right of the playground by the tennis courts).

Friday 28th October – 9.20 am to 3 pm at Lemon Quay as part of Truro Farmers Market.  

Children’s activities will be on offer, enabling young people to have their say on the plans.

Plans for Boscawen Park include:

• New two-storey building with hospitality area/cafe
• Lettable studio space for fitness classes
• Improved changing facilities
• 3G sports pitch
• Indoor play area and climbing wall
• Extended outdoor natural play area
• Hard surfaced area for bootcamp/outdoor fitness classes
• Enhanced performance space for outdoor events

Roger Gazzard, Town Clerk for Truro City Council, said: “We’re keen to get feedback from people of all ages about our plans for this brilliant multi-use building as well as the wider master plan at Boscawen Park. We want to find out more about what facilities people would like to use and what is most important to them as we shape our plans.”

Feedback from these events will be used to support the next stage of the development, which involves applying for planning permission.

The project would be funded by both Truro City Council and Truro Town Deal.

Truro is a step closer to releasing funding from the Government’s Towns Fund for projects to transform the city’s economy.

Following an extraordinary meeting (Wednesday, April 27), which saw the review of business cases submitted by the organisations behind the projects, Truro Town Deal Board gave its unanimous approval on the seven projects put forward.

Each of the core projects presented in the City’s Town Investment Plan will go through to the next stage of their development and feasibility assessment prior to receiving sign off from Cornwall Council as the accountable body. Following this approval, the finalised Truro Town Deal programme will be submitted to Government during July.

However, since the submission of the Town Investment Plan, and as part of the drafting of the projects’ business cases, a potential overspend of £900,000 has been identified due to the steep rising prices of building materials. As a result, further work is required to refine the costing of the construction phase, meaning the funding allocations could be revised and projects adjusted before submission to Government.

Chair of Truro Town Deal Board, Alan Stanhope, said: “We’re delighted to have met this important milestone in delivering the Truro Town Deal programme and maximising this funding opportunity. It’s been a challenging time to work up the finer detail of the projects, against rising costs of construction materials and balancing the budget.

“We’re hopeful that the next stages will run smoothly, leading to a release of the funding during Autumn. That’s when the real work can start in delivering these transformational projects which we are looking to see all completed by 2026.”

Two changes to how the projects sit within the portfolio were agreed at the meeting. A sub-project to refurbish Old Bakery Studios, which previously sat within Truro Harbour & Lemon Quays, has been moved to New Life for City Buildings.

The lifting bridge connecting Lighterage Quay at Newham with Boscawen Park – considered a “flagship” aspect of the Town Investment Plan – has been moved to the Truro Harbour and Lemon Quays project.

The project portfolio for Truro Town Deal is:

• Truro Harbour and Lemon Quay – to include lifting bridge
• Boscawen Sport and Recreation Hub
• Truro Community Hub
• New Life for City Buildings – to include Old Bakery Studios
• Green Transport
• Royal Cornwall Museum
• The Hive at Pydar

Next steps for Truro Town Deal

In August last year, the Town Deal Board signed a Heads of Terms agreement with the Government and Cornwall Council.

Since then, work has been going on behind the scenes to develop business cases for each of the projects put forward in the Town Investment Plan. These cover aspects such as detailed budgets, potential impact on the city’s economy and outline timeline for delivery.

 Now Truro Town Deal Board has approved business cases and funding allocations, the portfolio of projects moves to Cornwall Council as accountable body for further assessment prior sign off through Section 151 processes.

Cornwall Council will then submit the finalised Truro Town Deal Programme and associated projects during July to meet the Government’s deadline. Once approved by Government, funds could be released early Autumn 2022.

Truro is one of 101 towns, and four in Cornwall, selected to bid for the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund which aims to drive economic regeneration.

One of the projects to benefit from Truro Town Deal’s Accelerator Fund has opened its doors to the public with an open day.

The Moresk Centre welcomed members of the community on Thursday 21 October to see its refurbished rooms and facilities.

The building, previously used as a day centre for older people, has received just over £100,000 from the Government’s Towns Fund Accelerator Fund.

The investment was put towards new heating, roofing insulation, electrical installation, decoration, carpeting, furniture and updated kitchen facilities.

It also includes new audio-visual equipment and smart TV screens within meeting rooms, making the centre fit for purpose for meetings and events.

The refurbishment was arranged by Truro City Council and the Moresk Centre will be managed by the Truro Churches Trust, a not for profit charity established initially by Churches Together in Truro.

Trustee Ita Renshaw said: “This funding has enabled us to offer a space that has appeal for a wide variety of community groups. We had a vision for a space that could bring people together, small and large groups alike, and this funding has enabled that to happen.”

Mayor of Truro Steven Webb attended the open day and said: “It’s an amazing transformation to a light, airy space that so many people in the community can now make space of. The new AV equipment brings it up to date.

“We have so many incredible grass-roots organisations in Truro, I hope they consider using the Moresk Centre to support their work.”

The Moresk Centre has three rooms available to book, seating 10, 15 and 70 respectively. For more information, go to: https://www.moreskcentre.org

Plans to regenerate the Pydar area of Truro were approved by the Strategic Planning Committee on Thursday 23rd September. 

This is excellent news for Truro as the regeneration plans to create jobs, new low-carbon homes, more green spaces and support economic growth in the area. 

The development will provide 320 homes, of which 35% will be affordable homes as a mix of affordable rent and shared ownership / discounted market sale. 

There will also be 3.5 acres of public spaces created with more than 100 trees being planted and garden areas created that will be accessible by riverside public footpaths. 

As part of our Town Investment Plan we proposed the Hive at Pydar which aims to bring together education, research, innovation, business, entertainment and community facilities in a unique environment. It will become a hub for the creatives industries, creating jobs and wealth, while ensuring top talent stays in Cornwall. 

As part of the £23.6 million the Truro Town Deal was awarded from the Towns fund, £1 million is reserved to help fund the Hive at Pydar as part of the Pydar redevelopment project. 

Council leader, Linda Taylor, said: “We have said that we want Cornwall to be a place where our residents can start well, live well and age well and these plans tick all of those boxes. We have set out our plans for vibrant, safe, communities and a thriving and sustainable Cornwall and the vision for Pydar personifies that. I welcome the committee’s decision today and look forward to seeing the scheme progress.”

Stephen Rushworth, Portfolio Holder for the Economy, said: “Our high streets and cities are facing big challenges and that’s why we need to invest in projects that support our city centre, create jobs and provide homes for people of all ages. We have worked with residents, businesses, the City Council and other stakeholders to make sure the proposals maximise the benefits for the city.” 

Olly Monk, the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, said: “This will be an exciting neighbourhood that will revitalise a run-down part of the city and provide much-needed affordable homes, as well as improve access to nature and provide more opportunities. It’s not just about homes – it’s about building communities and that’s what will happen here.” 

It’s been a busy few months behind the scenes since Truro’s deal of £23.6 million was announced by the Prime Minister in early April.

The Board has been working closely with Cornwall Council, which is the Government’s appointed accountable body, to work out how we can put our plans into motion. We are also keeping in contact with the Town Deal Boards for Camborne, St Ives and Penzance so we can share learnings and maximise this investment opportunity.

Since the announcement, we have formally accepted the Government’s offer and earlier this month, signed off a Heads of Terms agreement.

We are now working up business cases, a more detailed budget and timeline of how projects will be delivered. We have until August 2022 to achieve this, but we hope to deliver this sooner.

There will be further opportunities over the next 12 months and beyond for people in the community to engage with our projects and offer feedback to shape our plans.

Thank you to everyone for their support so far. This investment really is for the connected river city of Truro and we’re excited about the impact it will make on our city.

Alan Stanhope

Vice Chair, Truro Town Deal

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Truro on 7 April to announce the £23.6 million Deal for Truro will help transform Cornwall’s capital into a Connected River City and support its vision of becoming a modern economic, cultural and green capital for its residents and the wider community by 2030.

The Deal will breathe new life into Truro’s waterfront by creating new spaces for business, vibrant and green event areas, promenades and new ferry terminals with berthing facilities and pontoons.

The investment will also boost its cultural and tourism offer by transforming some of its historic buildings into thriving businesses. The creation of a ‘go to destination’ in Boscawen Park will include a new ‘winter garden’ to build on Truro’s national reputation as a city of bloom.

Green and sustainable travel are at the heart of these plans, connecting key locations and attractions with accessible walking and cycling routes including a proposed new bridge between areas currently isolated from each other. The funding will also help convert some of Truro’s unused buildings into much-needed new homes.

Carole Theobald, chair of Truro Towns Fund Board, said: “We’re absolutely over the moon to have secured this level of funding for Truro and that the Prime Minister has recognised the potential of our city.

“It was a tremendous amount of work to develop our Town Investment Plan, led by a board of volunteers and supported by a small team. I’m so proud to have been part of this bid, which will pave the way for projects set to transform Truro’s future.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We are determined to level up across the entire country, and the Deal we’re announcing for Truro will help to unleash its tremendous potential.

“Through a range of innovative projects including greener transport links and the restoration and renewal of spaces in the city centre, we will be able to rejuvenate the local economy, support businesses, boost connectivity and create new jobs.”

Today’s investment is the 53rd deal to be announced from the Towns Fund and is part of comprehensive action by the government.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “This government is levelling up towns and cities across the country by building stronger and more resilient local economies, boosting prosperity and opportunity in our communities, and helping them build back better from the pandemic.

“This Deal is great news for Truro and the county. By revitalising the waterfront, breathing new life into unused historic buildings and investing in new cultural and tourist attractions, it will make a huge difference to the local economy and create much needed jobs and homes.”

Member of Parliament for Truro and Truro Town Deal board member Cherilyn Mackrory said: “I am delighted to have worked with the Truro Town Team and partners, including Cornwall Council, to bring this successful bid forward and it is brilliant to see the Prime Minister visit Truro today to see the plans for himself and provide his own support for them.

“Proof again that Cornwall is at the heart of the Government’s levelling up agenda and I look forward to continuing to work with all concerned to make these plans for our great city a reality.”

A bold vision for Truro as a “Connected River City” has been presented to Government as the Towns Fund Board submits its bid for up to £25 million.

A package of six ambitious projects, chosen for their potential to bring an economic boost, were submitted within an investment plan to the £3.6 billion Towns Fund on Friday (January 29).

Projects were chosen for their potential to transform Truro, affordability and deliverability – all must be delivered by March 2026.

During community consultation, more than 450 pieces of feedback were received including letters of support from key businesses and organisations backing the portfolio. Popular ideas included reworking Lemon Quay, green transport, revitalising empty buildings and a new community hub.

Chair of Truro Towns Fund board Carole Theobald said: “Submitting the Town Investment Plan is a major milestone in securing this funding for our city and represent months of work by our team and board of volunteers.

“We’re incredibly proud of our proposals which show we are thinking big – positioning Truro as a confident and connected river city with a prosperous future.”

Six projects selected for the TIP are:

1. Truro Harbour and Lemon Quay: reinvigorating our neglected waterfront and community spaces to create vibrant, attractive, weather-proof and green event areas reconnecting our people with our water and attracting new audiences from all over Cornwall.
2. Truro Community Hub: a new community space based in the repurposed Wesley Hall, part of Truro Methodist Church where all residents can meet, learn new skills, access support, volunteer, gain work experience, meet employers, enjoy leisure and cultural activities and feel part of our evolving city.
3. Green Transport: Connecting Truro City Centre with its residential and business communities by supporting people to change how they move around Truro by widening their healthy and clean travel choices. The project includes a key cycle link between Threemilestone and Truro and an iconic lifting bridge between Newham and Boscawen Park and seeks to encourage people to walk and cycle for short trips and lead to a less polluted, less congested city with reduced traffic noise and more people centred streets.
4. The Hive at Pydar: investment towards a new building bringing together education, research, innovation, business, entertainment and community facilities in a unique environment, and will become a hub for the creative industries, creating jobs and wealth, while ensuring top talent stays in Cornwall.
5. New Life for City Centre Buildings: repurpose Truro buildings, maximising space and enabling flexible usage to ensure our buildings are future proofed for modern day use.
6. Boscawen Sport and Recreation Hub: create a ‘go-to destination’ in Boscawen Park providing Truro residents and visitors of all ages with new leisure and recreational opportunities across a range of indoor and outdoor facilities.

Truro is one of four towns selected in Cornwall to bid for the fund, alongside Camborne, Penzance and St. Ives.

Over the next 2-3 months, Government will score the Town Investment Plans against strict criteria. If successful, Truro will be offered upto £25 million.

The Towns Fund Board and team will then be expected to draw up detailed business cases for the project portfolio whilst driving additional community engagement throughout.  

The final stage is to agree final funds and reach a “Town Deal” releasing the investment to start projects.

Read the Town Investment Plan

Read the Community Engagement Report