Plans for a new sports and leisure facility in Truro have been given a financial boost this week. 

The improved indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities at Boscawen Park have received its first lot of funding.  

Awarded £5.2 million from the Truro Towns Fund, the Boscawen Sport and Recreation Hub has received its first grant payment of £464,251.

Chair of the Truro Town Deal Board, Alan Stanhope said: “We are delighted to see this project moving forward thanks to Town Deal funding.

“Well done to the city council which has worked extremely hard to develop these plans, and I look forward to seeing work start on the new sport and recreation hub in the summer.”

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council cabinet member for economy, said: “This is great news for Truro, which secured £23.6 million from the Government’s Town Deal to boost the city’s exciting and ambitious regeneration plans.

“Boscawen Park is already a popular and attractive part of the city, and this project will provide improved facilities to the wider community, making the building a go-to destination for Truro.”

This project will build on these improvements with a new multi-use building providing high-quality all-weather and all-year-round indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities.

Specific plans include:

• Revitalising the park as a ‘Green’ hub for sports activities, with a focus on health and wellbeing for people of all ages and abilities.

• Improving the sports facilities including a new all-weather playing pitch and sports hub.

• Conserving the historic parkland landscape and character, celebrating Truro’s horticultural heritage.

• Emphasising the park's green and natural setting by improving access to the riverside pathways, with views to Truro.

• Revitalising those areas within the park which have been neglected and also address issues of drainage and access.

• Improving the existing performance space, serving as a multifunctional space for informal outdoor activity.

• Enhancing the existing play space with more green and natural play.

• Improving sustainable transport connections to the park and promoting cycling and walking.

• Promoting links to the wider area within footpaths and cycleways and the Lighterage Quay Bridge connectivity to Newham and its business

Community

The Boscawen Sport and Recreation Hub project is being led by Truro City Council.

“This is a very exciting project for Truro,” said Truro Mayor Cllr Carol Swain. “Boscawen Park is extremely popular with residents and visitors to the city and we are very proud to be leading on these plans to provide new and improved indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities.”

The project will include:

· The new Boscawen Park Sports Hub building

· An all-weather 3-G sports pitch

· Works to stabilise the riverbank

· Improvements to the duck pond, including dredging.

· Landscaping works

As well as providing a space for sports activities, the Hub is also expected to host community and family events, such as parent and toddler groups, book, film and drama groups, coffee mornings, a senior centre, workshops and training, arts and crafts groups, and conferences and events.

The new building will be located on land off Malpas Road formerly occupied by the City Council’s parks department horticultural nursery which has been relocated to Idless.

Truro is among 100 towns across the country successful in its bid for funding from the Government’s Town Deal. The city was awarded £23.6 million to support the regeneration plans proposed in the Town Investment Plan.

Seven projects have been approved to receive Town Deal Funding in Truro.

Aimed at creating a “Connected River City”, these include the construction of new buildings, including the Sports and Recreation Hub at Boscawen Park, the Hive at Pydar and the new Truro Community Hub.

The programme also involves exciting plans for transforming Truro Harbour and Lemon Quay, repurposing existing buildings in the city centre through the New Life for City Buildings project, improvements to the Royal Cornwall Museum, and the Green Transport project, which will provide new walking and cycle routes and a bridge to encourage sustainable travel.

Find out more about Truro Town Deal at https://www.trurotownfund.com/.