Finishing touches go on Camborne’s £4.6m town centre revamp

New benches, granite paving, secure cycle stands and a fresh zebra crossing on Fore Street are the last pieces going into place on Trelowarren Street. When they are done, they will close the book on the biggest piece of work Camborne town centre has seen in years.

The finishing touches are being made to Camborne Renew, the locally shaped scheme to smarten up the look of the town centre, make it easier to get around on foot and by bike, and give people a reason to linger and spend a bit more time in the town. Once it is finished, it will mark the end of the wider Camborne Town Deal Transport Project.

The Transport Project was built to regenerate the heart of Camborne and turn it into a more appealing, accessible place to live, work, shop and visit. It came in two parts, Camborne Renew and Camborne Lifecycle, and drew £4.6m from the Government’s Town Deal programme plus £1.2m from Cornwall Council. The work was carried out by Cormac.

What has changed in the town centre

Work on Camborne Renew began in November 2025, backed by £2.9m from the Town Deal programme and £800k of match funding from Cornwall Council. The design followed a long spell of engagement with people who live and work in the town.

The scheme improved pedestrian crossings the length of Trelowarren Street and added the new zebra crossing at Fore Street. On-street free parking at the top of Trelowarren Street was stretched from 30 minutes to a full hour. Paving defects in Commercial Square were repaired, enhanced lighting and CCTV went in, and secure cycle parking was added, along with new seating and greenery.

Most of the work landed on Trelowarren Street and Commercial Square, but the scheme also reached into the streets around them to keep the look consistent. New seating, benches, cycle stands, bins and planters have gone in across the town to create spaces where people can meet, rest and stay a while. Granite slab paving has been used alongside tactile paving in key spots, designed to help visually impaired people find their way. Along the main street, imprint paving has been laid, a block-textured finish on tarmac that is durable and cheaper to maintain.

The 3.7km of new walking and cycling routes

The other half of the project, Camborne Lifecycle, wrapped up at the end of 2025. It was built so people can move safely between the key sites in and around Camborne and the town centre, and it delivered 3.7km of enhanced walking and cycling routes.

Those routes tie the town centre and residential areas to the green spaces on Camborne’s doorstep, including the Red River Trail, Tehidy Woods, North Cliffs and Godrevy, the Great Flat Lode Mineral Tramways and Tuckingmill Valley Park. Lifecycle took £1.7 million of Town Deal funding and £326k of match funding from Cornwall Council.

By nudging more people towards cycling and walking and away from the car, the scheme is aimed at healthier living for residents and visitors, and at cleaner air in and around the town centre.

Keeping the town open while the work went on

Because the work sat right in the middle of the town, it was phased to keep disruption down for residents and businesses while still delivering to a decent standard in a reasonable time.

The team paused at the end of November so the town’s festive events could run without interruption, and made sure the road was clear and open for Trevithick Day. Once Trevithick Day had passed, work restarted on the rest of the scheme. Pedestrian access was kept open throughout, and deliveries were allowed as close to individual businesses as possible.

One hour of free parking was brought in at the Rosewarne car parks at the start of January to support businesses and residents while the highways work was carried out. It ran until the beginning of July. Over those six months, 14,757 people used the offer.

What the partners said

With the scheme close to done, members of the Camborne Town Deal Board and Camborne Town Council joined the Camborne Transport Town Deal Project team, local councillors and officers from Cornwall Council and Cormac for a tour of the work. It also gave the partners a chance to talk to some of the residents and businesses now feeling the benefit.

Val Dalley, Chair of the Camborne Town Deal Board, said: “The changes have made a real and very positive difference to the town centre. I’m grateful to Cormac for minimising disruption as much as possible and to Cornwall Council for providing one hour of free parking in Rosewarne Car Park whilst the works were in progress. Camborne Renew has always been a key Town Deal project and I’m delighted to see the finished result.”

Kieren Couch, project lead, said the job had always been about more than the physical work. “It has been about listening and responding to the community who have been instrumental in shaping a town centre that works better for everyone.

“We recognise that works of this nature inevitably cause disruption, particularly for residents and businesses, and we are grateful for the patience and support shown throughout. The result is a more welcoming, accessible and connected Camborne, creating an environment that will benefit the town now and for years to come.”

Steve Worthington, Cormac’s Business Director for Infrastructure, said his team was proud to have worked alongside Cornwall Council, the Camborne Town Deal Board, BID Camborne and the local community. “The scheme has improved accessibility, enhanced the public realm areas and created more welcoming spaces for people to visit spend time in Camborne, and has been a fantastic opportunity for Cormac to help bring the community’s vision to life.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience, co-operation and support during the construction works.”

Camborne Renew and Camborne Lifecycle are two of the 10 Town Deal funded projects in the town. In June 2021, Camborne secured a Town Deal of up to £23.7 million after submitting its Town Investment Plan. More on the wider programme is at cambornetowndeal.com.