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More than £1.9m awarded to community projects across Cornwall

Village halls, youth centres and community spaces are among the projects across Cornwall to share in almost £1.9m in grants from Cornwall Council.

The Council launched the fourth round of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Fund last spring, to fund community infrastructure projects .  

Now, after a vigorous and competitive application and selection process, the 23 successful projects can be announced. 

Olly Monk, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for housing and planning, said:

“The Community Infrastructure Levy allows us to raise funds from new developments and pass this on to community projects making a real difference. 

“With this funding we are able to support many worthwhile schemes and organisations working to improve facilities and access to opportunities. 

“As with previous CIL fund rounds, we were inundated with expressions of interest from worthy projects. There are many organisations working to improve life for our communities and I am pleased we are able to put CIL funding to very good use.” 

More than £5.7m of CIL funding has been awarded to projects across Cornwall since the first round in 2020. 

Youth Cafes Cornwall CIC received CIL funding last year to support the expansion of the Furry Youth Café in Helston. The youth café, which had operated in the town for 14 years, was able to acquire additional space. It offers a drop-in session, support hub and weekly supper club for young people. 

Charlotte Caldwell, chairman and founder of Youth Cafes Cornwall CIC, said:

“When we were made aware that there was the possibility of taking over the entire building, we applied for funding to make this dream a reality.  We were over the moon when our application to the CIL fund came to fruition.  We can now make the additional difference that the young people are crying out for.” 

St Austell Town Council has been awarded funding towards improvements at The Meadows and Landrew Road play parks.

Steve Skinner from St Austell Town Council said:

“Overall, this funding will significantly enhance the recreational facilities at both parks, making them more enjoyable and accessible for all members of the community.  

“It will be instrumental in replacing the old swings and safety surfacing at Landrew Road, ensuring that children in the area can access safe and enjoyable play equipment. The installation of a wheelchair-friendly roundabout at The Meadows will greatly improve accessibility and inclusivity in the park and allow children with mobility challenges to enjoy the park alongside their peers, fostering a more inclusive community environment.” 

CIL payments are set aside to be spent on infrastructure projects to benefit communities and support development. Five percent is retained by Cornwall Council towards the cost of running CIL, and between 15 to 25 per cent of the levy goes to the town or parish council where the development has taken place. 

The remaining CIL collected is used to deliver infrastructure that will help alleviate the wider impact of development.  

Applicants needed to show how there was local need and community support for their project, as well as how the projects will help alleviate the impact of development in an area or support development. 

This year's successful CIL Fund projects are:  

Bodmin 

Bodmin College - £59,612.60 towards the Cornwall Education Learning Trust project to transform a unit at Woods Browning Industrial Estate into a dedicated space for vocational and entrepreneurial learning. 

Bodmin Youth Football Club - £100,000 to the Bodmin Coldharbour Community Pavilion Project, replacing the dilapidated pavilion at Coldharbour Recreation Ground with a modern, safe, and welcoming facility. 

Bude 

Stratton Primary School - £83,937.60 towards the Stratton Area School and Community Hub project to provide a space for creative, cultural, sports and well-being activities.  

Callington 

Callington Youth Project Group - £100,000 towards the Community Youth Centre project to acquire a building to establish a youth centre in the town. 

Camborne 

Rosemellin School, part of Crofty Multi Academy Trust - £100,000 towards a project to upgrade Rosemellin School kitchen. The project will create a hub kitchen at Rosemellin to prepare meals for Roskear and Weeth schools. 

Carn Brea 

Carn Brea Leisure Centre Trust - £100,000 towards the repair the centre’s roof and resurfacing of the outdoor athletics track to bring it back to the standard for competitive eventing.  

Coverack  

Village Hall and Walled Garden Charity - £100,000 towards phase 2 of the Lambeage Village Hall improvement project to upgrade the hall to increase capacity for community activities. 

Downderry 

Zone Health and Wellbeing Hub - £80,000 towards the purchase of the Methodist Chapel in Downderry which has recently been closed as a place of worship and has supported community activities for more than a decade. 

Falmouth  

Marlborough School - £89,000 towards Marlborough play spaces, a project to improve the school’s outdoor play and learning spaces, and to develop the school’s field to increase use for the school and wider community. 

Hayle 

Hayle Town Council - £100,000 towards the Hayle Terrace Community Garden Project which aims to transform the former Hawkins Motor Site into a sustainable community garden, remediating contaminated land to create a central, accessible green space connecting key areas in Hayle. 

Helston 

Godolphin School, Crofty Education Trust (formally Crofty Multi Academy Trust) - £100,000 towards a project to replace the school’s Elliot huts. 

Lanivet 

Lanivet & District Under Fives - £100,000 towards a project to relocate the existing early years setting by creating a purpose-built pre-school, accessible for all children. 

Launceston 

Launceston Town Council - £100,000 towards new bespoke accessible play equipment and to replace the current equipment at Priory Park. 

Newquay 

Urban Biodiversity CIC (trading as Newquay Community Orchard) - £89,597 towards the Community Skills and Wellbeing Hub which will create and improve spaces for community learning for young people and families and for collocation of health, wellbeing, and education services.  

Penzance 

Mounts Bay Academy - £75,000 towards a new hot water and heating building management system, infrastructure improvements and to update facilities in residential accommodation and areas of the school available for use by the community and children participating in holiday programmes.  

Trelya - £100,000 towards the Skylar extension project, replacing the existing structure on newly leased land with a modern, purpose-built nursery facility, new play area, vibrant community garden and community forest school.  

Saltash 

Saltash Town Council - £100,000 towards the Saltash Waterside Improvement project, creating a new play area for children aged seven and under on Jubilee Green, next to a new community sensory garden. 

2nd Saltash Scout Group - £100,000 towards the Latchbrook Scout HQ Extension, a two-storey extension to the Latchbrook Community Centre and the refurbishment of a games court and green space. 

St Austell  

AFC St Austell Ltd - £100,000 towards the AFC St Austell Redevelopment project, redeveloping facilities at the site to create a new community artificial grass pitch and Community Sports Hub.  

St Austell Town Council - £20,005 towards the St Austell Children’s Playparks project, replacing dilapidated play equipment at The Meadows and Landrew Road. 

St Maybn 

St Mabyn Peace Memorial Hall - £40,831.52 towards the St Mabyn Peace Memorial Hall Restoration and Renewal project. 

St Minver 

St Minver School Early Years and Key Stage 1 Learning Environment Upgrades - £55,483 towards improvements for the school’s early years and key stage 1 learning environment and new nursery.  

St Wenn  

St Wenn School - £100,000 towards the installation of a multi-use games area (MUGA) to enable the school to host sporting events and for local sports teams to use at weekends. 

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