02.12.08
Hayle regeneration project celebrated

The successes of a £4 million regeneration project in the historic Cornish port of Hayle are being celebrated with the launch of a photographic exhibition and a heritage trail. The exhibition preview, for invited guests, will take place on 5th Friday December, with the exhibition open to the general public from the 8th to the 12th December.

Hayle Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) began in 2005 and ended in 2008 and was led by Penwith District Council. The aim was to boost the economy of a town that  once played a key role in the Industrial Revolution by restoring and bringing back into use derelict, under-used and rundown buildings and public realm areas. Hayle was historically two company towns, Foundry (centre of the Harvey's Foundry machinery and ship-building complex) and Copperhouse (the centre of operations for the Cornish Copper Company. Both of these important areas have benefited from grant-aided improvements, and Hayle is looking much more attractive and thriving as a result of the project.

Work in the Foundry area included the award winning transformation of the Foundry Farm complex at Harvey’s Foundry, into workspace and affordable housing; the refurbishment of White’s Warehouse which is now fully occupied with businesses, including owners' Nixon Design,  a restaurant and complementary public realm improvements at Foundry Lane and Foundry Square. In the Copperhouse area works included  the careful conservation of  the dilapidated Old Brewery Office, and the restoration to its original handsome appearance of  the former cinema, now once again called  St George's Hall.

The bulk of the investment came from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£1 million) and Objective One European Regional Development Fund (£969,763). Further funding was provided by the South West Regional Development Agency (£450,000); English Heritage (£300,000); Penwith District Council (£458,176); Cornwall County Council (£265,000), and Hayle Town Council (£2,500). Private investment (£658,700 in total) came from the Guiness Trust and property owners.

Penny Stokes, Penwith District Council senior conservation officer, said: “We are very proud of what the project has achieved, and hope to carry forward the success with a futher phase of improvements and enhancements to historic buildings and areas in Hayle. It is one of the key sites of the  Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, and its wonderful estuary setting adds to its special character. Hayle is worth investing in for its interesting history and its future potential to provide a sustainable and beautiful place to live, work and visit.

“Heritage-led regeneration  has been particularly positive at Harvey’s Foundry, where the award-winning work at Foundry Farm may have helped the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape to gain  inscription as  a World Heritage Site, by showing that there is determination to retain and cherish Hayle's fragile but important historic buildings.”

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership, said: “Objective One investment was put into schemes such as the Hayle Townscape Heritage Initiative in towns and villages across Cornwall. These investments increase business, encourage a sense of local pride and regenerate historic areas making them more attractive and accessible to everyone.”

Nerys Watts, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “The Heritage Lottery Fund has always recognised the important role that our industrial past has played for local communities as well as its ability to attract visitors. This Townscape Heritage Initiative has provided significant heritage conservation and regenerative benefits to the area, celebrating Hayle’s heritage and encouraging people and businesses back to the town.”

One of the challenges in Hayle was to ensure the regeneration of the two separate town areas of Copperhouse and Foundry. During the first part of the project most of the regeneration work took place in the Foundry area, due mainly to the large number of derelict buildings available there. Later in the process the project team were delighted to stimulate much-needed refurbishments at Copperhouse, so that the benefits of the scheme were well balanced. A welcome spin-off benefit of the project included the training in conservation skills and traditional building methods for many of the people who worked on the refurbishments of the historic buildings and areas.

Regeneration work in Hayle will not end with the THI. Ambitious future plans include the harbour regeneration, the Wave Hub and Phase Three of the Foundry regeneration.

For further information please contact Clare Morgan, Media Relations Manager, Objective One Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, on tel: 01872 223439 / 07973 813647 or email: cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk.

For Penwith District Council please contact Penny Stokes on tel:  01736 336528 or Caroline Sargent on tel: 01736 336689.

Hayle Foundry received ERDF Objective One investment as part of the HayleTown Heritage Initiative which repaired and renovated historic town centre properties to bring them back into business use.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
The Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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