New Funds within the Town Centre Revitalisation Fund are now open for applications.
On 12 February 2020 Cornwall Council set up a £4m Town Centre Revitalisation Fund (TCRF). This was in response to the recommendations from the Vitality of Towns Inquiry which ended in September 2019. To date, TCRF has supported 20 towns in Cornwall to develop investment proposals and their visions for the future. It has also provided extra support to Bodmin, Liskeard, St Austell, Newquay and the China Clay area to help with their strategic priorities.
The Town Vitality Fund has now closed for new applications. Cornwall Council has retargeted the remaining £1.23m of TCRF funds to help towns realise their visions for the future.
Town Vitality Funding
The Town Vitality Fund is now closed for new applications
The Town Vitality Fund (TVF) set aside £1.45 million for Cornish towns to help revitalise town centres and high streets. Cornwall Council supported 20 towns and the China Clay area, which received a total of £1.4m of Town Vitality funding.
The response from towns across Cornwall to the Town Vitality Fund has been very positive. This reflects the hard work and creative approaches that towns took to establish their ideas for town centre renewal. The types of town centre activity supported by this fund included:
- Town Centre Vitality action plan
- Feasibility work around a learning and business hub
- Reimagining the high street with less car dependency-safer, greener streets
- Options appraisal and business plan for large waterfront site
- Work around sustainable and active travel to/from the town centre
- Outlining business case for land parcels in the town centre
- Investigating town centre homes and workspace opportunities
- Feasibility work for new community green spaces and events spaces in the town centre
This fund has closed but Cornwall Council is continuing dialogue with all the areas supported. We have opened the Town Vitality Accelerator Fund, and the Town Delivery Fund to distribute the remaining TCRF funds.
TCRF delivery- November 2023 to March 2025
Cornwall Council has retargeted £1.23m of funds to respond to the emerging needs of our towns.
Town Accelerator Fund
The Town Accelerator Fund (TAF) is a discretionary award from Cornwall Council to towns that have accessed Town Centre Revitalisation Funding before. The China Clay Area will also be able to access this support. They will be eligible to receive the funding once they have completed and submitted their Town Vitality work. This means that there's no need to fill out an application form. Before offering the award, Cornwall Council will meet with the Town Team to agree how the Town Team will use the funds.
The award will be up to a 25% uplift on the town's original Town Vitality funding. For example, if a town received £10,000 of TVF, they may receive another £2,500.
Town Delivery Fund
The Town Delivery fund (TDF) will provide grants from £5,000 to £100,000. We expect the average to be around 30K to spread benefits across Cornwall.
Larger grants will need to be justified and may need to cover more than one town. Applicants must show that they have support from the Town Team.
Town’s that have already accessed the TCRF can apply, and the China Clay Area will also be able to access this support.
Town Delivery Fund supports activities such as (not exhaustive):
- Using vacant and underused premises for alternative uses such as pop-up shops and mixed/meanwhile uses
- Initiatives that help to promote community/mixed uses and increase footfall
- Establishing regular markets
- Public realm improvements, such as signage and wayfinding interventions
- Shopfront improvement schemes
- Supporting pop-up uses and cultural activity like temporary eateries and performing arts
TDF application form and guidance notes
You can request application forms and guidance notes by emailing VitalityTowns@cornwall.gov.uk with the subject line 'TDF application'.
TAF application form and guidance notes
There is no application form for TAF. The Policy and Intelligence Team will contact the Town Clerk and Chair of the Town team to discuss TAF.
Questions about TCRF
If you have any questions about TCRF, please email VitalityTowns@cornwall.gov.uk
For guidance notes and forms for TDF and TAF, please email VitalityTowns@cornwall.gov.uk with the subject line 'Request for TCRF guidance notes and forms'.
