Vice Chair of St Ives Town Deal Board Libby Buckley and St Ives MP and Town Deal Board Member Derek Thomas joined members of St Ives Community Land Trust earlier this week to see the work which has been taking place to renovate the Old Vicarage Flats building.

The first community-led housing project to be delivered in the town centre, the Old Vicarage Flats building is being converted to provide two 1-bedroom and four 2-bedroom high quality affordable flats for rent to local people.

Awarded £750,000 from the St Ives Town Deal Fund, the project received its first payment of £464,381 from Cornwall Council, at the end of January. This enabled preparatory works to be carried out in the building ahead of the start of the main project. These have included removal of deteriorated lath and plaster, internal stud-wall demolition work, together with re-render and stabilisation of lime plaster where original granite walling could be seen. 

The CLT project team were pleased to be able to see and photograph the original structure before the new structural elements are added over the coming month.

Cllr Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council cabinet member for economy, said: “I’m delighted to see this project progressing well so soon after the first payment just over a month ago. This is just one of nine Town Deal projects taking place across St Ives as part of the £19.9m Town Deal funding which the community will start to notice taking shape with the first project completions due in 2024.”

They are hoping to hold an open event for local residents to see inside the building after Easter – full details to be provided once details are confirmed.