Truro Cathedral delays light switch off until March

The chief operating officer for Truro Cathedral said committing to achieve net zero by 2030 was being taken "very seriously"

Truro Cathedral will delay switching off its floodlights until the end of March due to "many messages of concern".

The cathedral had announced it would switch off its lights from the end of January for environmental reasons.

Sean O'Neill, chief operating officer, told BBC Radio Cornwall there had been a mixed response from the public.

The cathedral will shorten the duration of the lighting immediately while it considers what to do in the long term.

Mr O'Neill said the delay would give the cathedral "time to hear further feedback from our stakeholders and better understand the community impact and the possible capital cost of replacing the lighting system".

He said the decision to switch off the lights had been taken "primarily" for environmental reasons.

He added, however: "Existing income is barely sufficient to maintain the building leaving little if anything to address large projects, even in a normal year, let alone after the debilitating effects of a pandemic."

Mr O'Neill said the cathedral had "water literally streaming through the roof" and needed "urgent repairs costing £404,000".

He said the cathedral "cannot justify spending tens of thousands of pounds on a new flood-lighting system" as had been suggested by members of the public.

Truro Cathedral will continue to illuminate the building during notable occasions throughout the year.