THE final roof section has been added to the new multi-use Community Sports Hub building at Boscawen Park, with a special “topping out ceremony” to mark this key milestone in this £5.2-million project.

Truro mayor Cllr Chris Wells and Fox Construction Solutions director Kevin Bate placed a St Piran’s flag on the gable of the timber frame building, with Truro City Council officers and project managers from Ward Williams Associates also in attendance.

Over the next fortnight, roof coverings will be added and windows installed, making the building waterproof before Christmas. Work will begin in January on external cladding and internal finishes.

The next key milestone will be in February when all scaffolding is removed from inside and outside the building. Work will then focus on the interiors, with the project due to be completed and the finished building handed over to Truro City Council in July.

Led by Truro City Council and funded by Truro Town Deal with support from Cornwall Council, the project will provide new and improved indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities at Boscawen Park, with flexible indoor spaces suitable not only for sports use but also for conferences, workshops, training, community and family events,.

The first turf was cut three months ago, and the project remains on schedule to be completed next summer. “There have been up to 60 people working on the site, and despite some truly awful weather, the roof is now on,” said site manager Simon McMahon.

One of Simon’s first tasks was to commission an underground survey to check for unexploded bombs. “This is not something we normally need to do before starting construction, but Boscawen Park housed a large, tented camp of American soldiers during the Second World War,” he explained.

“These included the 531st Engineer Shore Regiment who were responsible for constructing and storing concrete barges filled with high explosives and ammunition in preparation for the D-Day landings. Given the history of the site, we wanted to make absolutely sure no material was still buried underground; luckily, nothing was found.”

The Town Deal-funded project will also see Boscawen Park’s pétanque pitch extended and improved, the riverside walk resurfaced and new fencing installed.

“Boscawen Park has always been a much loved and much-used facility for the city,” said Cllr Wells. “Our 10-year plan for the site involved replacing the tired old changing rooms and providing a new and improved community space with high-quality sports and leisure facilities, and we are well on our way to delivering this. I can’t wait to see people using the new facilities next year.”

Town Deal chairman Alan Stanhope added: “I’m delighted to see the progress that has been made with this project. This is a really important investment in Truro’s future.”

Truro Town Deal Board, in partnership with Cornwall Council, successfully bid for a Town Deal worth £23.6 million of Government funding in June 2021. It will support a range of projects that will contribute to the city’s regeneration and boost the local economy.