News Pydar Street: PRP spearhead sustainable placemaking for a thriving community

Pydar Street: PRP spearhead sustainable placemaking for a thriving community

Features

April 25, 2023

A masterplan for a vibrant, sustainable, and intergenerational town centre in Truro

Leading the charge for sustainable placemaking, PRP is transforming the town centre of Truro, Cornwall, with its Pydar Street project. This ambitious 4.5ha masterplan, developed through extensive local community engagement since 2019, promises to reinvigorate the town centre by introducing experience-led uses and create a vibrant, sustainable, and intergenerational place for businesses, local people, and visitors alike.

Addressing the challenges faced by town centres and high streets nationwide, Pydar Street will deliver 320 high-quality new homes, including 35% designated as affordable housing. The project also includes 3.5 acres of green open spaces, a new riverside park, 16,500 sqm of leisure and hospitality spaces, and state-of-the-art cultural facilities. Non-residential units will be situated at ground level to create an exciting and safe street environment, boosting activity throughout the area.

One of the core design principles for Pydar Street is a sustainable, walkable neighbourhood that reduces car use and encourages walking and cycling. Integrating seamlessly into Truro's existing cycling and walking infrastructure, the project includes provisions for a shared car club scheme, E-bikes, and public transport stops. As a result, residents can work and live in the same area, reducing the need to travel and supporting the Council's goals for sustainable transports.

The scheme will also be home to 'The Hive,' a 4,000 sqm hub for creative industries. This addition will bring jobs to the area, retain emerging talent from Falmouth University and local businesses, and support Cornwall's economy. With up to 400 student beds available, Pydar Street will encourage university students to stay, study, and grow in the area, acting as a catalyst for growth and entrepreneurship.

Based on four key principles – Healthy Cornwall, Homes for Cornwall, Green and Prosperous Cornwall, and Connecting Cornwall – Pydar Street aims to deliver a multitude of benefits to the town. By redeveloping vacant, asbestos-ridden buildings and warehouse sheds into a vibrant community hub, the project will facilitate physical and mental wellbeing for residents. It will also address Truro's housing shortage, meeting 25% of the town's affordable housing need and providing homes for key workers and later-living residents.

As a sustainable development, it will create 623 long-term jobs and 1,554 construction jobs, generating an estimated £152-197 million over the first ten years of occupation. 'The Hive' alone is projected to generate £57 million from additional spending within Truro over the same period. The development aspires to be zero carbon in use by 2030, with 60% of renewable energy demand produced on-site. It is the first scheme in Cornwall to achieve Building with Nature Award.

Pydar Street will improve connections between the site, the city centre, and green spaces, enhancing overall accessibility and mobility for Truro's residents. By placing the health and vitality of the town centre at the heart of its masterplan, Pydar Street will breathe new life into a struggling town, setting a new benchmark for regeneration across the UK.