Exploring the future of Church St car park.

Last year, Falmouth returned a 93% vote in favour of adopting Falmouth’s Neighbourhood Plan. Within the plan, Church St Car Park and its waterfront were identified as being key to the future economic and environmental sustainability of Falmouth’s town centre.

 

Over the last six months, Falmouth Town Council and its partners have overseen the implementation of initiatives informed by the neighbourhood plan and designed to make Falmouth town centre safer and even more appealing to residents and visitors alike. These initiatives include the priority pedestrianisation of Market Street and exploring the possible different uses afforded by Church St Car Park.

 

Feedback on both these initiatives has been positive. Visitors and residents have reported, for example, feeling safer whilst walking through the centre of town during the day due to the reduced traffic. Reimagining uses for Church St Car Park has also been well received. This summer, for example, the waterfront car park was repurposed as a scenic venue for Falmouth Week’s very successful shoreside entertainment programme and, more recently, the always popular Oyster Festival. Furthermore, local businesses have been encouraged to use the space to offer customers outdoor dining options, helping to move footfall around the town centre over the summer season, and supporting local hospitality providers affected during the Pandemic.

 

​Now Falmouth Town Council and its partners on the Place Shaping Board are looking to further explore the potential offered by Church St Car Park and have asked local architects Lavigne Lonsdale and Cornwall-based Inner Circle Consulting to help deliver a new vision and master plan for the car park in the event the car park is devolved to Falmouth Town Council.

 

Falmouth’s Place Shaping Board comprises several member partners, including but not limited to, Falmouth Town Council, Falmouth Town Council’s Neighbourhood Development Plan team, Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID), Falmouth and Exeter Universities and Falmouth Harbour Commissioners. The role of the Falmouth Place Shaping Board is to provide co-ordination of development activity within the town; in doing so, helping to improve its sustainability; economic vitality; and the quality of the built and natural environment (recognising Falmouth Town Council and Cornwall Council have declared a climate emergency) – making Falmouth a better place to live, work and visit. Town and Cornwall Councillor Jayne Kirkham chairs the Board.

 

This project is still in its early phase, with initial scoping work and engagement with the public, businesses, Town and Cornwall Councillors, and Cornwall Council.