Plans for the future of Porthleven’s most iconic building are to be revealed just before Easter.

Porthleven Town Council will be unveiling the results of many months of work, to give members of the public the chance to give their views on what happens to the Bickford-Smith Institute and its famous clock tower.

Details will be available to view at the EPP offices at 1 Chapel Terrace in Porthleven on Tuesday, April 16 between 5pm and 7pm, and again the following day from 11am to 2pm, ahead of the main consultation event on the Saturday of Easter weekend, April 20.

This will be held in the Porthleven Town Council offices of Caretaker’s Cottage, around the back of the Bickford-Smith Institute, between 11am and 5pm.

The working party that has put the plans together, including town councillors and heritage experts, will be there to explain the ideas in more detail.

While the exact nature of the proposals is being kept closely under wraps at this time, the group says they “take into account the building’s original community use as well as the need for it to be financially sustainable in the future.”

Heritage consultant Ian Saltern has been project managing the current work, through funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

He said: “The restoration of the Bickford-Smith Institute will be a challenge. There are fewer funding opportunities available than there were ten years ago. This means that any programme to repair and reuse the building has to be flexible and innovative.

“The location of the institute is both a blessing and a curse; a blessing because of the spectacular views it affords, making it one of Cornwall’s most recognisable landmarks, a curse because of the impact of increasingly stormy weather and seas. “Without intervention, the future of the institute cannot be guaranteed.”

The current projected cost of the restoration project is now estimated at £2million.

Also working on the project has been Kevin Brownridge, a senior partner of consultancy firm Perfect Moment who specialises in developing business plan, and chartered architectural technologist Chris Strike, director of RA Design, who has spent many hours working pro bono to help draw up the suggested new plans for the building.

Porthleven mayor Andrew Wallis said: “The working party and town council have looked at numerous options on what works financially for the future of the building, as well as within the physical space available.

“We’ve based our recommendations and plans on the initial consultation we held back in 2016, where Porthleven residents told us they wanted to see the building brought back into community use and housing heritage projects; as well as on the need for future financial sustainability.

“We believe our recommended plan is the best one to meet these two key mandates.”

The consultation event will run alongside a re-showing of the NetWorks project – the story of the net makers of Porthleven.