AN initiative to breathe new life into disused buildings in Truro city centre is proving a success.

The New Life for City Buildings project has delivered 22 new homes for more than 50 people to help revitalise the city centre.

The project awarded its first grant to support a local company seeking to bring an empty three storey building 15 months ago.

Nine other schemes have received grants since then, which has helped to deliver 22 new homes to enable more people to live in the centre of the city and support the regeneration and repurposing of disused buildings.

The New Life for City Buildings project, led by Truro City Council, was awarded £3.3-million of Town Deal funding to boost the local economy by supporting the refurbishment, renovation and repurposing of buildings and unoccupied upper floors.

Almost £1.3-million was allocated to support schemes bringing empty spaces above retail shops back into residential or commercial use, with the remaining £2-million ring fenced for buying and regenerating unused buildings.

Truro Regeneration Company CIC (Regenco), the organisation set up by Truro City Council to deliver the project, awarded the final grant at the end of last year. The project has unlocked more than £1.8-million of private sector investment in the city as well as providing much-needed additional homes.

Four of the 10 schemes have been completed, with work progressing well on the remaining six.

All are expected to be finished by the end of this year. Together the 22 new homes will provide accommodation for more than 50 people in the city centre, with two of the schemes working in partnership with housing associations to provide homes for individuals and families in need.

Rupert-Hume Kendall, chair of Regenco, said: “It is great to see positive progress being made in the city centre.

“A number of buildings have already been refurbished and we're actually using derelict upper floors of city buildings. This is exactly what the project was designed to do and it's now coming to fruition and bringing New Life to City Buildings.”

The first grant awarded by the Regenco Board was to the Truro Development Company Ltd, owned by husband-and-wife Tony and Cynthia Martin, in November 2024.

The couple were seeking to convert an empty three storey building in New Bridge Street, previously used as a restaurant, to provide accommodation on the first two floors and a commercial unit on the ground floor.

They used the £147,679 grant to provide two well-designed two-bedroom en-suite apartments that are now helping to meet the growing demand for housing in central Truro, together with a high-quality commercial space on one of Truro’s busiest retail streets.

Both apartments in the building, now named the Furniss building, welcomed their tenants in December 2025, with the ground floor let to Ethio Queen Braids and Beauty Salon in January 2026.

Mr Martin said: “The support we received from the New Life for City Building project and Regenco was invaluable.

“It not only enabled us to undertake a bigger scheme 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.

“Seeing people living there again after the building had been empty for so long has been fantastic, and we’re really pleased to have played a small part in improving the area and creating new homes in the city centre.”

Brothers Jeremy and Peter Cross received a New Life for City Buildings grant of £112,769 to help convert the upper floors of 29 River Street, a Grade II listed building owned by their family since 1948, into residential accommodation.

The Cornwall Air Ambulance charity shop on ground floor remains in place.

Built in the 1850’s and originally home to a “grand family,” with servants’ quarters in the attic and reception rooms complete with bells on the first floor, the building became the premises of Rickards Prams and Toys in the 1940’s.

Having been bought by Jeremy’s grandfather at auction in 1948, the family continued to run Rickards Prams and Toys until the 1980s when his father retired and the premises was let to Casa Fina and then later to White Stuff.

The upper floors have been converted to provide four bedrooms, two of which are doubles, providing space for up to six people. Work on the project was completed in March, with the accommodation leased to a housing charity who will be using it to provide social housing for people in need.

Jeremy Cross said: “The building has been in my family for more than 70 years and we are very pleased to be helping it return to its roots by providing much needed accommodation.

“Developing a Grade II listed building is always challenging and the funding from the New Life for City Buildings project meant that the scheme was economically viable.

“Having looked after the building for so many decades it was really great to find a way of making a new life for it as the commercial centre of Truro changes to find new usage for the old spaces.”

The scheme at 62/63 Fairmantle Street was carried out by Cornwall Accommodation, a Truro based family run business which works with Cornwall Council to provide safe, comfortable, and fully equipped homes for local families who find themselves in urgent need.

Director Phillippa Lusty said: “The scheme is especially close to our hearts.

“Situated on a busy street in the centre of the city, this property had been empty for a number of years and was sitting alone amid a row of terraced cottages looking very tired and unkempt.

“Our vision was to bring it back into use and restore it to what it was originally meant to be, a place for people to live, while also helping improve the look and feel of the city centre for local residents.”

The scheme, which was awarded a New Life for City Buildings grant of £112,025 involved converting the building into six modern apartments including three studio apartments and three two-bedroom apartments as well as restoring its frontage to its original design, recreating the charm of two traditional cottages.

Phillippa and her team began the initial works in early 2025 and had originally hoped to complete the scheme by July that year.

However, as with many renovation projects involving older buildings, things quickly proved to be more complicated than they first expected with significant issues with the roof, drainage and asbestos.

Phillippa said: “We would not have been able to finish the works without the grant from the New Life for City Building project.

“Despite the challenges, however, it has been incredibly rewarding to see the building brought back into use, and we couldn’t be prouder of our team whose perseverance, ingenuity and hard work made this project a success.

“The first apartment was occupied in early December 2025, and by the time Christmas arrived all six apartments had been filled.

“Seeing people living there again after the building had been empty for so long has been fantastic, and we’re really pleased to have played a small part in improving the area and creating new homes in the city centre.”

Work on converting the top floor of 105 Kenwyn Street, better known as archie browns health food shop, into a two-bedroom apartment is due to begin in April.

Planning permission for the scheme, which also includes converting a separate outbuilding at the rear of the property into a two-bedroom apartment, was granted at the end of 2025. The apartments will be available to rent once completed.

Helen Swift, co-director of Archie Browns, is very clear about the importance of the £207,079 grant funding both to the scheme and to the long-term sustainability of the business.

She said: “As everyone knows this is a very difficult time for high streets.

“While we managed to find a range of short-term tenants for the empty space above the shop and the outbuilding over the past few months, we knew we needed to have a steady income stream to enable the shop to continue.

“We had decided to repurpose the outbuilding into accommodation when I remembered hearing something about grants being available to support the renovation of buildings in the centre of the city.

“The BID put me in touch with the people leading the New Life for City Building project and our application was successful.

“This means we can now also turn the former café space into accommodation providing two flats rather than just one.

“The funding from Truro Town Deal has made a huge difference to our scheme and our lives.

“As well as providing places for people to live, the income from the flats will help to secure the future of the shop.”

The upper floor of 24 King Street, a Grade II listed building owned by Stewart and Wight Ltd, is being converted into a two-bedroom duplex flat which will provide family accommodation.

The ground floor of the building, which is currently the home of So Sweet, is remaining as a retail property.

The scheme is being managed by Paul Harrison who says it will help breathe life into the High Street.

Work is due to begin in the next few weeks and to be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Harrison said: “The grant made the scheme 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.”

Grade II listed building 15 River Street, has been owned by the same family since the 1960’s and is currently empty.

The scheme will see the two upper floors of the Grade II listed building converted from commercial space to two self-contained flats, with the ground floor remaining available for commercial use. The scheme was awarded a New Life for City Building project grant of £123,420.

The family is currently waiting for a decision on their planning application before work can begin on the conversion.

The scheme at 57A, Little Castle Street involves converting the space above the Taupe Cakery, previously used as an office / therapy room, into a one-bedroom flat.

The scheme is being managed by Leon Leonides who says they are currently waiting for a decision on their planning application and, subject to a positive outcome, hope to be begin work in mid-April.

Mr Leonides said: “We are very grateful for the support from the New Life for City Buildings project.

“The grant means that we are able to deliver the scheme to a higher standard, making it a nicer space for people to live in.”

The scheme at 10 Frances Street will see the long-awaited regeneration of one of the city’s most challenging and neglected sites. It is being delivered as a joint venture with the adjoining property, 9 Frances Street.

The scheme will see the old Reeds Chemists building bought back into long-term use, delivering a high-quality mix of eight self-contained flats and studio units in the heart of the city. It has been awarded a New Life for City Building project grant of £239,951.

Rob Hitchins, who is managing the scheme, said: “We have been committed to finding the right solution for this complex site for 11 years.

“Without the New Life for City Buildings grant, the site would likely have been placed back on the market, risking further deterioration and lost opportunity.

“Instead, the scheme has unlocked the potential of 10 Frances Street, ensuring its future as a vibrant and productive part of the city centre.

“Working in partnership with our neighbouring property owner, the development will contribute to the wider renewal of the area and provide much-needed residential accommodation.

“Thanks to the grant, we can finally put spades in the ground and move from vision to reality.”

Work is due to start towards the end of April and is expected to take up to eight months to complete.

The Green, an indoor golf venue with state-of-the-art golf simulators, a putting area, bar and social space, opened on the bottom two floors of Haven House in Quay Street in January.

The scheme was the brainchild of Ben Wilson who wanted to bring a new indoor sports facility to the city. The venue includes games and activities for children and families as well as the simulators which enable people to play more than 370 courses from around the world.

Mr Wilson said: “I think Cornwall, and Truro, definitely need more facilities like this.

“People in Cornwall struggle to get out on golf courses during the winter, so this is a great addition which will benefit them as well as those who want to try the sport for the first time, or just have some fun with families and friends”.

The scheme was awarded £39,996 from the New Life for City Buildings project as part of its objective to bring empty buildings back into use.

Mr Wilson is very clear about the importance of the New Life for City Buildings grant to the success of the scheme.

He said: “The grant was a huge part of being able to get the funding together to actually deliver our vision.

“Without it we wouldn't have been able to do as much as we wanted, so the venue would have been a lot smaller.

The New Life for City Buildings project has also provided grant support for the provision of accommodation at the Market Inn.

The pub re-opened in January following an extensive renovation of the Grade II listed building.

The works included refurbishing the upper floor of the building as accommodation for the manager which was supported by a £119,681 grant from the New Life for City Buildings project in line with its objectives to help stimulate the nighttime economy in Truro and lever in private sector investment to refurbish vacant or underutilised buildings.

Landlady Karen Heard said: “The grant was a key part of making the project possible as it provided essential funding that allowed us to move forward with the restoration and ensure the space could be completed to a high standard.

“It also helped us preserve important aspects of the property that otherwise might have been lost.”

Truro Town Deal Board, in partnership with Cornwall Council, successfully bid for a Town Deal worth £23.6-million to support a range of projects that will contribute to the city’s regeneration and boost the local economy.

Cornwall Council is the lead authority for Cornwall Town Deals and supports the governance role of the Truro Town Deal Board and administrates the fund.

David Rodda MBE, the town clerk for Truro City Council and chief executive of Regenco, said: “The New Life for City Buildings project is an example of how town and parish councils can get involved in delivering the regeneration of their area.

“Truro City Council’s new strategy identifies the need to support the regeneration of the high street as one of its key objectives and the funding from the Town Deal has enabled us to deliver this objective.”