Council plans for St Austell town centre hub

Cornwall Council has revealed its plans for a new base in St Austell town centre.

The council has spent £7.8m on the building set to be home to a number of services.

The former council offices on Penwinnick Road, St Austell, were vacated last year, with the council then operating out of Carlyon House.

But the authority plans to move into White River Place as part of its estates transformation project.

The proposal aims to cut the number of buildings owned and run by the council in a bid to reduce running costs, but also comes in recognition of how more council staff are working from home.

Plans have been put in place for various towns across Cornwall where the council is looking to sell off sites and create new hubs, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In St Austell, the council has acquired a large block on White River Place which is home to New Look and Poundstretcher shops, plus the former Edinburgh Woollen Mill store and Eden Project Café.

Planning documents state that the New Look store would be retained

Planning documents state the New Look store would be retained under the proposals.

Services to operate from the site would include a family hub, Citizens' Advice Bureau, adult education, registrars, Cornwall Council back office, safeguarding, short-term enablement and planning service, and parking enforcement.

Some of those services are currently located in other buildings in St Austell.

The registrars' office is located next to Carlyon House while the family hub is located on Woodland Road. There is no indication of plans the council has for those buildings.

The documents state that if planning permission is granted, construction work could start in September 2023, with the building handed over to Cornwall Council for use in winter 2024.