A scheme to create a market area in Helston’s Trengrouse Way car park and expand a pavement in Meneage Street received the most support when three designs were put before the public last week.

An exhibition was held last Friday and Saturday to give residents and businesses a first glimpse of three possible projects, one of which could be made a reality through the £250,000 “public realm work” money.

Visitors to the display were asked to choose from three different plans, revolving around Trengrouse Way, Market Place and the Grylls Monument.

These three areas were selected for more detailed designs, following the results of an earlier public consultation and a subsequent walk through the town by landscape architects firm MeiLoci, which is behind the designs.

Although the verdict was fairly even, Scheme A, for Trengrouse Way, was the most popular with 79 votes.

This proposed creating a “new town square” in the top left hand corner of the Trengrouse Way car park and using up parking spaces outside the health centre and to the far end.

The idea is that this paved area could be used for markets, bringing stalls up from their existing location in Coinagehall Street to give them a dedicated home, as well as for other events.

Horse and Jockey Lane would also be improved, with a more gentle gradient, an improved surface and new handrail.

There was a suggestion to widen the pavement at Meneage Street, where it meets the bottom of the lane, by taking up three car parking spaces and clearing the area of clutter such as excess signs.

The second most popular proposal was Scheme C, revolving around the Grylls Monument. This received 62 votes.

Considered by the designers to be potentially the most controversial, it proposed creating a pedestrian area in front of the monument by paving into part of the wide junction with Nettles Hill.

It was acknowledged that drivers often use the entrance to this junction to turn around, but the thinking was it would make it easier to cross from Coinagehall Street and make better use of the area.

A walkway around the bowling green to steps that lead down to Castle Green would also be created, perhaps with a trail leading people down, to link the town better with Coronation Park and the Old Cattle Market.

Coming in third, with 53 votes, was Scheme B for Market Place. This proposed flattening out an area outside Helston Museum and extending it out into the road slightly to take up the single yellow line area where cars park in the evening.

This area could be used for outdoor events and welcome people into the historical part of Helston.

There was a suggestion to create a path through the old butter market, to the right of the museum, leading to the Cornubian Arts and Science Trust (CAST) building in Penrose Road that is being used as art studios.

There would also be space for outdoor eating, should CAST achieve its wish to open a regular cafe.

No suggestion has been made to relocate the ancient cannon.

A total of 212 people entered their postcodes onto the record sheet, although town centre regeneration officer Martin Searle believed many other people had attended without registering.

Anyone who missed the exhibition will have another chance to see the proposals from Monday, December 15, to Tuesday, December 23, when they will be on display in the Drill Hall at Helston Museum. This exhibition will, however, be unmanned.

Mr Searle said: “If we’re looking to make a real impact with the £250,000 we probably need to be looking at the more significant schemes.”

However, he said the other ideas raised in the consultation were not being ignored.

Mr Searle said it was likely extra funding would need to be found to make a whole project a reality and to get the best use of the money. “We don’t know when we might get a similar sum of money again, so we have to get that money to work as hard for us as we possibly can,” he said. “If we don’t try to lever in some grant funding it’s not working as hard as it can.”

However, he warned that the existing pot of money had to be spent by 2018.

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