The Helston Gateway project is a community-led project to acquire and refurbish a large,derelict, town centre supermarket building to create much-needed facilities for a struggling rural market town. Unoccupied for over 7 years, the building’s state of disrepair was a source of tremendous anger for residents. It created a sense of dereliction and despair in the heart of ourcommunity, engendering a lack of pride and dissuading visitors from the town centre.
Supported by Cornwall Council and with UK Shared Prosperity Funding, local community group South Kerrier Alliance CIC has been able to acquire the derelict building and commencerefurbishment of the upper ground floor to create a large, new GP surgery alongside community space. The GP surgery is the anchor tenant with this rental income supporting broadercommunity facilities in the lower ground floor and ensuring the project’s sustainability.
The lower ground floor community facilities are designed for families and young people, centred around the need to provide expansion space for the town’s youth café, allied with physical activity space: café, indoor and outdoor activities including climbing and bouldering, skating, skateboarding, parkour, events space for music and band practice and a music studio. Partner,community led youth support organisations are co-located, enabling them to work with families and young people in a place where they want to congregate.
The Helston Gateway project will not only provide much needed community facilities, it willgive the wider community of Helston and The Lizard a reason to use and appreciate their local town centre. The project is a key component of the Helston Place Shaping Plan and will have wide ranging impact upon the overall prosperity and vitality of Helston.
For more information on this project please click the link below:
