St Ives’ Historic Old Vicarage Opens for Preview Ahead of Affordable Housing Transformation

Open Day invites community to explore affordable housing project in the heart of St Ives

The St Ives Community Land Trust is hosting an Open Day at the Old Vicarage Flats on Saturday, 16th November, between 10 am and 2 pm, giving locals the opportunity to tour the historic site ahead of an extensive refurbishment project. This initiative, funded by £750,000 from the St Ives Town Deal Fund, will transform the building into six affordable flats for rent, with two one-bedroom and four two-bedroom units.

Behind-the-Scenes Preparations

Although the exterior of the Old Vicarage has remained largely unchanged in recent months, significant progress has been made in preparation for the conversion. Project Lead Jill Block from St Ives Community Land Trust stated, “Whilst local people may not have seen major changes to the exterior of the building over the past few months, we have been working very hard behind the scenes to appoint a contractor and prepare for the start of the main refurbishment works.”

This preparatory phase has included essential updates such as roof replacement, window repairs, and asbestos removal. Additional infrastructure improvements have been made in collaboration with National Grid and BT to support the new flats, while Kensa Engineering’s Ground Source heating team drilled boreholes for an energy-efficient ground source heat pump system.

Preserving History for the Future

The Old Vicarage, originally constructed in the late 1830s as the Parsonage, served as the home for St Ives vicars until the early 1950s. Following its religious role, the building was converted into flats by St Ives Borough Council, and its ground floor hosted local groups, including a nursery and the Women’s Institute. Vacant since 2016, the building was saved in 2019 by the St Ives Community Land Trust, which acquired the property with the goal of restoring its legacy while addressing the local housing need.

Jill added, “We are now ready to start work on renovating and converting the building and are delighted to have the opportunity to stage an Open Day to give people the opportunity to tour the site before the refurbishment begins.”

This Open Day offers a rare chance for the community to witness the transformation of a local landmark and learn more about its future role in providing much-needed affordable housing in the centre of St Ives.