22 New Homes Delivered Through Truro City Centre Regeneration Project

Truro’s Empty Buildings Transformed Into 22 New Homes

A project aimed at bringing disused buildings in Truro back into use has delivered 22 new homes, providing accommodation for more than 50 people in the city centre.

The New Life for City Buildings project, led by Truro City Council, has supported 10 schemes over the past 15 months. Four have already been completed, with the remaining six expected to be finished by the end of this year.

Funded by £3.3 million from the Town Deal, the scheme focuses on refurbishing, renovating and repurposing unused buildings and upper floors. Around £1.3 million was allocated to bring empty spaces above shops back into use, while £2 million was set aside for buying and regenerating vacant buildings.

The project has also attracted more than £1.8 million in private sector investment.

Bringing buildings back into use

Rupert Hume-Kendall, Chair of Regenco, said: “It is great to see positive progress being made in the city centre. A number of buildings have already been refurbished and we’re actually using derelict upper floors of city buildings. This is exactly what the project was designed to do and it’s now coming to fruition and bringing New Life to City Buildings.”

The first grant was awarded in November 2024 to Truro Development Company Ltd, owned by Tony Martin and Cynthia Martin. Their scheme converted a former restaurant on New Bridge Street into two two-bedroom apartments and a commercial unit.

The apartments, now part of the Furniss building, welcomed tenants in December 2025. The ground floor was let to Ethio Queen Braids and Beauty Salon in January 2026.

Tony Martin said: “The support we received from the NLCB project and Regenco was invaluable. It not only enabled us to undertake a bigger scheme than we could deliver on our own, but it also ensured we could deliver it to a higher standard, with real attention to quality and finish as well as greatly improved environmental performance.

“Seeing people living there again after the building had been empty for so long has been fantastic, and we’re really pleased to have played a small part in improving the area and creating new homes in the city centre.”

Historic buildings given a new purpose

At 29 River Street, brothers Jeremy Cross and Peter Cross converted the upper floors of a Grade II listed building into accommodation for up to six people. The ground floor remains home to the Cornwall Air Ambulance charity shop.

Jeremy Cross said: “The building has been in my family for more than 70 years and we are very pleased to be helping it return to its roots by providing much needed accommodation.

“Developing a Grade II listed building is always challenging and the funding from the New Life for City Buildings project meant that the scheme was economically viable. Having looked after the building for so many decades it was really great to find a way of making a new life for it as the commercial centre of Truro changes to find new usage for the old spaces.”

Work was completed in March, with the accommodation leased to a housing charity.

Family business transforms empty property

A scheme at 62/63 Fairmantle Street delivered six apartments after a number of challenges during renovation, including issues with the roof, drainage and asbestos.

Cornwall Accommodation, led by Phillippa Lusty, carried out the work.

Phillippa Lusty said: “The scheme is especially close to our hearts. Situated on a busy street in the centre of the city, this property had been empty for a number of years and was sitting alone amid a row of terraced cottages looking very tired and unkempt. Our vision was to bring it back into use and restore it to what it was originally meant to be a place for people to live while also helping improve the look and feel of the city centre for local residents.”

All six apartments were occupied by Christmas 2025.

She added: “We would not have been able to finish the works without the grant from the New Life for City Building project. Despite the challenges, however, it has been incredibly rewarding to see the building brought back into use, and we couldn’t be prouder of our team whose perseverance, ingenuity and hard work made this project a success.”

More schemes underway across the city

Work is due to begin in April on converting the top floor of 105 Kenwyn Street, known as archie browns health food shop, into a two-bedroom apartment, alongside a separate outbuilding.

Helen Swift said: “As everyone knows this is a very difficult time for high streets. While we managed to find a range of short-term tenants for the empty space above the shop and the outbuilding over the past few months, we knew we needed to have a steady income stream to enable the shop to continue.

“The funding from Truro Town Deal has made a huge difference to our scheme and our lives. As well as providing places for people to live, the income from the flats will help to secure the future of the shop.”

Elsewhere, a Grade II listed building at 24 King Street is being converted into a two-bedroom duplex flat, while plans are also in place for 15 River Street and 57A Little Castle Street, subject to planning decisions.

A major redevelopment at 10 Frances Street will create eight flats and studio units. Work is expected to begin towards the end of April and take up to eight months.

Rob Hitchins said: “We have been committed to finding the right solution for this complex site for 11 years. Without the NLCB grant, the site would likely have been placed back on the market, risking further deterioration and lost opportunity.

“Working in partnership with our neighbouring property owner, the development will contribute to the wider renewal of the area and provide much-needed residential accommodation. Thanks to the NLCB grant, we can finally put spades in the ground and move from vision to reality.”

Supporting businesses and the local economy

The project has also supported commercial spaces, including The Green, an indoor golf venue in Quay Street which opened in January 2026.

Ben Wilson said: “I think Cornwall, and Truro, definitely need more facilities like this. People in Cornwall struggle to get out on golf courses during the winter, so this is a great addition which will benefit them as well as those who want to try the sport for the first time, or just have some fun with families and friends.

“The grant was a huge part of being able to get the funding together to actually deliver our vision. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to do as much as we wanted, so the venue would have been a lot smaller.”

Accommodation has also been created at the Market Inn following refurbishment, supported by grant funding.

Karen Heard said: “The NLCB grant was a key part of making the project possible as it provided essential funding that allowed us to move forward with the restoration and ensure the space could be completed to a high standard. It also helped us preserve important aspects of the property that otherwise might have been lost.”

Wider investment in Truro

The New Life for City Buildings project forms part of a wider £23.6 million Town Deal for Truro, delivered in partnership with Cornwall Council.

David Rodda MBE said: “The NLCB project is an example of how Town and Parish Councils can get involved in delivering the regeneration of their area. Truro City Council’s new strategy identifies the need to support the regeneration of the high street as one of its key objectives and the funding from the Town Deal has enabled us to deliver this objective.”