Keys handed over for Truro’s new Boscawen Park pavilion

A set of keys changed hands at Boscawen Park this week, and with them, months of scaffolding and site fencing edge closer to becoming a working community building. The new sports and wellbeing pavilion has now been formally handed over to Truro City Council, with fitting out of the interior next on the list before the doors open to the public in September.

A ceremony at the finish line

The Mayor of Truro, Councillor Honorary Freeman Chris Wells, was presented with the keys at a special handover ceremony at the site. He was joined by Town Deal Board Chairman Alan Stanhope, along with representatives of the project team, including contractor Fox Construction Solutions and project managers from Ward Williams Associates, plus councillors and officers from Truro City Council.

“It is great that with the keys being handed over, the finishing line for this exciting project is now within sight,” said Chris. “I am looking forward to the opening ceremony and seeing the long-awaited new facilities being used by local sports and community groups.”

Alan, Chair of the Truro Town Deal Board, added: “We’re excited to see this landmark project reach completion and be handed over to Truro City Council. The new pavilion, together with the wider improvements across Boscawen Park, will create lasting benefits for residents and strengthen community wellbeing.”

The pavilion project sits inside a wider £5.2 million programme to improve the facilities at Boscawen Park, funded by the Truro Town Deal with support from Cornwall Council and Truro City Council.

Inside the new building

The timber framed building has been designed to support health, wellbeing and physical activity for people of all ages and abilities. There’s a multi-purpose sports hall on the ground floor and two further multi-purpose activity spaces upstairs, giving sports clubs, community groups, instructors and individuals flexible indoor space alongside social and support areas. Team changing rooms and fully accessible toilets are also included.

Look out for the English larch wood cladding on the outside of the building, and a glass atrium on the first floor that fills the communal areas with natural light.

What’s on offer once the doors open

Pay and Play sessions will cover badminton, pickleball, table tennis, basketball, volleyball and indoor tennis, giving residents and visitors an easy way to drop in and get active. Beyond that, the pavilion will run a wider programme of fitness classes, wellbeing sessions, workshops and community-led activities, and will also serve as a venue for meetings, events and conferences at the park.

Newly appointed Manager Katie Wilding is looking forward to seeing the building come to life. “This is a significant new community asset for Truro, and I’m excited to work with our partners and users to ensure the pavilion reaches its full potential and becomes a valued part of community life.”

Once open, the pavilion will run from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Bookings for the pavilion and the wider park spaces go through the Truro City Council website, and the team can be reached with any enquiries at [email protected]. Updates are also being posted on the Boscawen Park & Pavilion Facebook page.

The rest of the park, and what’s still to come

Alongside the new building, the wider project has extended and resurfaced the pétanque pitch, resurfaced the riverside walk, installed new fencing along the river side of the park, put in new drainage and reseeded the playing fields. One job remains before the whole scheme is finished: dredging the duck pond, which is due to begin later in 2026.

Construction on the building itself began in August 2025, and the city council says it has worked hard to keep disruption to a minimum throughout. The children’s play area, formal gardens, tennis courts and café all stayed open to the public across the build, and the existing boules and pétanque pitch remained in use for most of the works too.

David Rodda MBE, Town Clerk for Truro City Council, has overseen the project’s development and delivery. “In delivering this project, Truro City Council has demonstrated its ambition to deliver continued improvement in the facilities it provides to local residents,” he said. “The funding secured from the Truro Town Deal has facilitated significant improvements to the playing surfaces at Boscawen Park, and the new pavilion provides a new pitch side facility that we can be proud of.”

A formal opening ceremony for the pavilion is expected later in the year, once the fit-out is complete. The Truro Town Deal Board, working with Cornwall Council, secured £23.6 million through the Town Deal to support projects contributing to the city’s wider regeneration, with Cornwall Council acting as lead authority for Cornwall’s Town Deals.