A “FINAL step” is needed before the future is assured for heritage site Heartlands. The failed mining attraction in Pool looks set to reopen with the National Trust approved as its new long-term operator.

Cornwall Council signed off an agreement on Wednesday (February 25) for the charity to have a 30-year lease to run the site between Redruth and Camborne. Cllr Sarah Preece, cabinet member for tourism, localism and planning, said the National Trust “will take the lead in reproviding the public-facing facilities that have been the hallmark of the Heartlands site”.

She added: “The trust has provided clear evidence of both the fundamental breadth of skills and aptitude to manage the refurbishment of the buildings on the site, but also the desire to engage fully to re-establish the community and commercial activity the site warrants.

“There is still one final step to make: the signing of that lease will follow on completion of lease negotiations with the National Trust.” The exact date of the signing and the handing over of the property are to be confirmed, but it is hoped it will happen in spring 2026.

Around 40 employees were given a month’s notice when the mining heritage centre – including Red River Café, Wheal Play soft play centre, conference centre and meeting rooms - closed in January 2024.

The Heartlands Trust ran the site under a lease from landlord Cornwall Council, but declared the majority of facilities on the £35-million site financially unsustainable before entering voluntary liquidation in March 2024.

Heartlands received £22-million from the Big Lottery Fund, the biggest grant given to a single project in England at the time, with Cornwall Council and the European Union also contributing. As the biggest benefactor, the National Lottery Community Fund made the “difficult decision” to pull its funding, adding: “We have a responsibility to ensure public money is well spent.”