A groundbreaking scheme to revitalise Truro city centre has reached a major milestone with the completion of the first project to be awarded a grant.

Led by Truro City Council, the New Life for City Buildings (NLCB) project supports city-centre property owners and landowners to refurbish and repurpose empty floors into high-quality living and working space.

Truro Regeneration Company CIC (Regenco), set up by the city council in November 2024 to deliver the project, awarded its first grant to Truro Development Company Ltd, owned by husband-and-wife Tony and Cynthia Martin.

The couple were seeking to convert an empty three-storey former restaurant in New Bridge Street to provide two-bedroom apartments on the first and second floors, with a commercial unit on the ground floor.

The building was used as offices by Furniss biscuits in the early 1880s when the company’s factory was based in Truro. Tony and Cynthia were originally planning to just tidy the building up when they heard about the NLCB grants, and wondered if this might help them achieve something more special.

The Martins were granted £147,679.97 to provide apartments that will help meet the growing demand for housing in central Truro, and a high-quality commercial space large enough to accommodate more than one occupant on one of Truro’s busiest retail streets.

Their work complete, and Tony and Cynthia are looking forward to welcoming their first tenants. “The support we received not only enabled us to undertake a bigger project than we could deliver on our own, but it also ensured we could deliver it to a higher standard, with real attention to quality and finish as well as greatly improved environmental performance,” said Cynthia.

Truro mayor Cllr Chris Wells said: “This scheme has brought the building back into sustainable use, providing much needed accommodation and a new space for businesses in the centre of the city. I look forward to seeing other projects which have now been awarded grants come to fruition in the coming months. “

Two further businesses have been awarded grants from the NLCB project and will start their refurbishment works over the summer once they have secured all the necessary planning consents.

These are 24 King Street, a Grade 2 listed building which will see the ground floor remain as a retail property with the unused space on the upper floors being converted to a duplex flat (granted £149,573); and 62/63 Fairmantle Street, previously used for commercial purposes and due to be converted into six residential properties to be used as temporary housing (granted £119,364).

“It’s far better to look up in the evenings and see the glow of curtain light rather than cobwebs and failing paintwork,” said Paul Harrison, who is managing the 24 King Street project. “The grant makes the project financially viable where previously it would have sadly been dismissed. This would have been an enormous shame, as this building has a lovely façade coupled with remarkable views of the Cathedral.”

A number of further applications for NLCB grants are in the pipeline.