Carn Brea running track to be rebuilt in Redruth?

The Finance and Resources committee agreed with a proposal to move the running track to Redruth School, securing "the future of the track for many years to come in the Camborne/Redruth area", according to one councillor.

With the Carn Brea leisure centre and running track approaching the end of their life and money tight at County Hall, it was "doubtful" that the council could have afforded to re-provide the facility from its own resources.

However two offers for the land, which would then be turned into another supermarket, would provide enough money to refurbish the leisure centre and to re-provide the running track.

Cabinet member Alex Folkes said: "Both facilities are run by a leisure trust who have done a great job in maintaining the provision at no cost to the council. But they could not afford the re-building or refurbishment that would be needed to provide the facility in the long term.

"The proposal is to give a sum of money to the leisure trust for them to do a substantial re-furbishment on the current site. They may also be fund-raising to enable them to do more, but we have been able to secure enough money to ensure that the leisure centre is going to be there for years to come.

"But the key decision has been over the site for the re-located running track. It cannot stay where it is because that is where the developer plans to build.

"Three options were put forward - Redruth School, the new Richard Lander school in Truro and Camborne International Academy. Studies of all three showed they would be viable financially, although all still face hurdles to be overcome. There was a lot of concern from local councillors and the athletics community to ensure that the facility remained in the Camborne/Redruth area and the decision today fits their desires.

"I'm delighted that the committee has backed the Redruth option and I look forward to proposing this at the cabinet meeting later this month."