Noah Law urges St Austell General Wolfe buyers to seek grants

A building that has sat empty through two changes of ownership, a doubled repair bill and one failed council scheme now has a new owner nobody in St Austell has met. The local MP wants that to change, and he is holding out an offer of help to whoever it is.

A building that outlasted a council plan

The former General Wolfe, a Grade II listed landmark in St Austell, was bought by Cornwall Council’s Corserv Facilities for £1 million in 2020, with the aim of converting it into temporary accommodation. The plan did not survive contact with the building itself.

Investigations by Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, in early 2025 found the projected cost of the Council’s development had climbed to £2.4 million. Faced with a scheme that would cost far more than the finished building would be worth, and with legal complexities piling up alongside the rising bill, the Council decided it could not move the project forward. The building continued to decay while it sat in limbo.

It was eventually sold at auction on 7 May 2026 for £275,000. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the buyers have not been named, citing commercial sensitivity, so they remain anonymous to the public for now.

What Noah Law is offering the new owner

Because the General Wolfe is Grade II listed and historically significant, it could qualify for substantial grant funding from Historic England, should the new owner want to draw on it. That is the door Noah Law is trying to open.

“When I was elected, I promised to end the impasse around the white elephant that is the General Wolfe building. I have now done this, having pressed the Council to take action on the site or find a more suitable owner,” he said. “They overpaid to start with, the damage done was immense, and I am pleasantly surprised they were even able to realise £275,000 for it, however, I do commend the current administration’s swift action, including to resolve the floating freehold issues which had previously rendered the building unsellable.”

He added that the building had even been considered for a community housing co-operative he helped found earlier this year, but that in line with his push to end the saga, the Council opted to send it to auction instead.

Every pound found elsewhere, in his words

Noah Law was clear about why he wants the new owner to engage with his office rather than go it alone. “Whether it be for quality accommodation, commercial or civic purposes, it is imperative this building is put to the best use possible. Part of how we ensure this is by unlocking grant funding support where available,” he said.

“Every pound its new owner invests in its re-development is a pound we no longer have to find from the community, or local public coffers which owned it previously. It would be a missed opportunity not to draw on the other available sources of funding to ensure its successful redevelopment into a building we can be proud of once again at the heart of our town.”

He finished with a direct invitation to whoever now holds the keys. “I ideally hope the buyer will take me up on this offer, and I look forward to hearing from them.”

📷Credit: Clive Emson Auctioneers