By Richard Whitehouse/LDR

A disused supermarket building could be transformed into a new centre providing leisure facilities and performance space for Helston if a £17million bid for Levelling Up funding is successful.

Cornwall Council has submitted a bid for funding from the Government in round two of the Levelling Up programme for several projects included in a scheme designed to regenerate Helston town centre.

The bid documents submitted by the council ahead of the funding deadline this week set out three projects which would be funded with the cash – Helston Cultural Quarter, Helston Gateway and sustainable connectivity.

Helston's Cultural Quarter is designed to "revitalise Helston's historic and cultural district, increasing visits to cultural venues and releasing studio space for creative enterprise". Three main buildings are included in the quarter – The Museum of Cornish Life, The Cornubian Arts & Science Trust (CAST) and Helston Guildhall.

The regeneration project is seeking to improve the area around the buildings and create better connections between the three centres. Refurbishment is planned for the area connecting Market Place, Drill Hall Yard and Museum of Cornish Life, CAST and Wendron Street car park.

Helston Gateway is aiming to refurbish the former Co-op/Budgens supermarket as a "multipurpose community enterprise with workspace, leisure attractions, facilities for young people, a cafe and learning kitchen".

A multi-use games area is planned for the building which could include a climbing wall, skating area, market and exhibition space, daytime activities for all ages and space for events and performances. There are also plans for a children's soft play area, community cafe and youth cafe.

The building would also provide a headquarters for the town band; office space and equipment store for Helston Town Council; space for Cornwall Council services; and office and commercial space for rent.

A sustainable connectivity project is the final part of the overall scheme which aims to "liberate the town centre from vehicle congestion, transform the calibre of its entry points and wider streetscape and activate a shift from car use to cycling and walking".

To do this the project will –

• Deliver raised and improved crossings and pedestrian refuges at strategic town centre entry points, rebalancing the street network to better meet the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.
• Provide dedicated cycling and walking routes, connecting residential areas and Helston's outskirts to the town centre, building on routes already delivered.

The scheme will form part of a wider scheme which is aiming to create more cycling paths and facilities; a re-routing of the road network and a new hopper bus service which will link the lower part of the town with the cultural quarter and Helston Gateway.

Cornwall Council's bid for Levelling Up funding for the Helston project is the second scheme included in its latest submission – the other is seeking almost £50m for the Mid Cornwall Metro project which will create a direct rail service between Falmouth and Newquay.

No date has been set for when the Government will decide which bids have been successful in getting funding.