It is hugely exciting to hear that Cornwall Council and Redruth HSHAZ submitted a successful bid which saw them being awarded £1,689,063 by Historic England, with another £3m of investment expected from the private and public sectors. This will go towards revitalising derelict and underused buildings in the town centre, developing a youth programme of events and activities, and the launch of Alma Place as a library and gateway for Redruth’s residents, businesses and visitors.
In 2011, the Redruth Action Plan Project was launched with the aim of ‘bringing the heart back into Redruth town centre’ after the legacy of its buildings erected during the historic mining boom suffered deterioration with decades of economic decline. Cornwall Council secured £11.7m in 2015 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform the derelict Redruth Brewery building into the archive and library space which we know today as Kresen Kernow, the world’s largest collection of manuscripts, books and documents pertaining to Cornwall which opened in 2019. We are pleased to note that the development of Krowji into Cornwall’s largest creative cluster was also instrumental in Cornwall Council making the decision to put Redruth forward for the Heritage High Street Fund.
The Mining Exchange and the Purser of Wheal Peevor, along with the former Butter Market, will be redeveloped by Redruth Revival CIC with funding from this scheme, which will offer vibrant communal office and work spaces for new and existing businesses.
For more information, the Cornwall Council article can be found here.
Redruth Town Centre (Image: Greg Martin at CornwallLive)
