12 November 2010

New Regeneration Project Starts in Pool

As part of Cornwall Council's work to clear the way for major office and housing developments at Trevenson Park South, in Pool, contractor CORMAC has been undertaking the demolition of redundant buildings to enable the construction of a new access road and boulevard between Dudnance Lane and Trevenson Road.  The new boulevard will also open up a key vista to Robinson's Shaft at the core of the Heartlands project from the north via a wide pedestrian friendly street.

Trevenson Park South is the site of one of the first housing schemes in the country to be delivered under the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) new Public Land Initiative. Under the scheme the HCA is providing its own land for development, removing part of the upfront costs and risk for private developers who will be appointed to deliver a high quality residential development.

Costing £4.3m, the new Trevenson Park South access road and boulevard are part of a larger package of schemes in the Camborne Pool and Redruth area valued at more than £9m, and benefiting from a contribution of some £5m of funds from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme.

The Government's Growth Point programme has committed investment and the HCA has provided land for elements of the scheme including the development of the access road and the Cornwall Council-led Heartlands park site which is being transformed into a space for leisure and community facilities. 

Graeme Hicks, Cornwall Council cabinet member for Highways and Transportation said: "High quality investment in the area at this time will help bring forward long term sustainable development, jobs and housing. Once again close partnership working between the Council's officers, the Homes and Communities Agency, the Regional Development Agency and the CPR Urban Regeneration Company, has resulted in another piece of the regeneration jigsaw for Pool being put into place." 

The access road and boulevard are expected to take about 10 months to complete and the materials used in construction will include granite in many areas such as the footways, walkways and raised tabletop pedestrian friendly road crossings. The safety of pedestrians and other road users will be enhanced by the implementation of a 20mph zone, with feature traffic calming measures throughout. There will be landscaping with a variety of specimen trees and plants, together with quality seating, lighting and other street furniture. Surface water will be collected in a sustainable drainage system which will cascade down an aesthetically pleasing open swale through the central public realm area.

For the Urban Regeneration Company, Project Director Trevor Goff said: "This is excellent news for Camborne, Pool and Redruth.  These roads will open up a new route through the area and create a direct visual link to the Robinson's Shaft World Heritage Site key centre and surrounding parkland.  Trevenson Park South will also provide important space for new offices which could bring around 200 jobs to the area, and over 290 new quality homes.  It promises be the start of a new era of growth and prosperity for the area."

Ian Knight, HCA's head of area (South) added: "This project is important to us because it supports wider plans to establish Camborne, Pool and Redruth as a thriving area of innovation, quality and wealth. There are a number of exciting schemes beginning to take shape that support this ambition for the area. The development of a new access road for the housing and offices proposed for Trevenson Park South will be a key element of this."

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "The ERDF Convergence investment in the new access road is designed to unlock the economic development opportunities in this important part of Camborne Pool Redruth. Better access is an important factor in making this area attractive for the private sector investment that will drive the economy of the future."