Truro’s Pydar redevelopment could be used as a model for future schemes designed to revitalise town and city centres.

Work on building the £170million development could start next summer if the latest planning application is approved.

Demolition work has been completed on the Pydar site which will be used to provide hundreds of new homes, a new campus for Falmouth University, as well as open space and leisure facilities. Outline planning permission has already been granted but more detailed plans are set to be submitted for the first phases in the next few weeks.

Ahead of that a public exhibition of the proposals that promise to transform that corner of Truro was held in Lemon Street Market where people were invited to look at the plans and ask questions of those behind the project. Phase 1A and Phase 1B will be submitted to Cornwall Council in December.

These will include 165 homes, 166 units of student accommodation and The Hive, the new facility for Falmouth University which is set to be a hub for courses in gaming and digital technology. The new homes will be a mix of open market, affordable and shared ownership housing – across the whole development there will be 320 homes, of which 35% will be affordable.

If planning permission for the development, which is being led between Cornwall Council and its own development company Treveth, is approved in the spring then work could start on the development in summer 2023 and be completed by 2027.

Manisha Patel is senior partner at PRP Architects which is behind the design of the new development. She has been working on the project for more than three years and says it has been a “passion” for her.

She explained that as well as the built elements of the first phases the development will also focus on public open space which will be provided. This includes a range of planting around the development as well as a public square, known as Pydar Square.

“In the first phase we wanted the public realm elements to come through so that people can start to enjoy them – we really wanted to do that in the first phase rather than waiting until the end.

“We want to create that network of streets and creating the different access routes into the development so that it becomes a part of Truro. In a lot of developments they (public areas) can be seen as filler, but we see them as an integral part.

“The key thing about Pydar Square, and in fact the whole development, is that it will not be competing with the other spaces in Truro. We want it to be part of the city and we want to make sure it is open to all.”

In the past such a major development in a town or city centre would probably have been centred around new shops but with Pydar the developers are looking to shift away from that thinking and instead creating something that fits in with what already exists in Truro. Manisha added: “We are looking at complementing rather than competing.”

With The Hive forming a central hub to the development along with the student accommodation and residential buildings it is aiming to bring more people into the city to make use of the existing businesses and services.

Manisha said: “On the residential side it is bringing in flats and apartments, it is urban living which is different to what people might have seen here before. It is about giving that variety and choice to people in Truro.

“We also want to make it attractive to different generations – if you go around the world and the UK you will see in cities that different people are living in the same area and support each other. We want to have that here.”

The Hive will also bring the university into Truro for the first time and the main building will be in the centre of the development and visible to all. It is hoped that this will help people to interact with the university and students more as compared to a more traditional self-contained university campus.

Manisha said: “University students are looking for activity and quality education with urban living – this will give them that. Falmouth University are very pro on how people get involved with the university and are keen to have more interaction.”

Sazeda Ibrahim, project manager for Inner Circle Consulting, said that those behind Pydar were keen to continue with public consultation about the project so that they can get the views of local people. From the events this week they said there had been “good feedback”.

“It is a council led scheme and it is really important that we get this right as it has taken a long time to get to this stage. We are so excited about this scheme and we want to make sure that people can understand what we are doing and what the benefits are.”

The Pydar project has already attracted attention further afield having won a Building With Nature Design Award and there is also interest from the government and internationally. Manisha said: “Pydar is leading the way in how regeneration can happen in town and city centres – it is looking at how people have changed in the way they are living, shopping and socialising.

“It is quite forward thinking and a culture shift in how we approach this kind of project.”

She said that whereas in the past there would be a clamour for an “anchor” store to bring a big high street name into a town or city centre that approach was not considered for the Pydar scheme.