The Duchy of Cornwall has unveiled designs for the latest phase of Nansledan at Newquay, including a brand new nursery school that will open next year.
Three Arts and Crafts style buildings will contain new shops, offices, flexible workspace and the nursery, all grouped around a landscaped courtyard with trees, outdoor seating and parking areas.
The scheme, which has the temporary working name of ‘The Hub Complex’, has been designed by Nansledan’s masterplanning architects, Adam Architecture, with working drawings by ALA Architects in Charlestown.
The project is the first standalone commercial development at Nansledan built directly by the Duchy of Cornwall, which has brought together the same team that built the primary school, Skol Nansledan, in 2019.
Work is already underway and the project is expected to be completed in the autumn of 2022, with the nursery school being the first to open in September next year.
Ben Murphy, Estates Director for the Duchy of Cornwall, said: “This will be another great community asset in the heart of Nansledan that will provide pre-school education for up to 64 children together with two floors of flexible workspace and new shops and offices.
“We’re already seeing strong interest in the commercial space and are delighted to confirm that six more shops will be opening in the next two months, which means Nansledan will have more than 20 businesses trading here.
“The small but dedicated Duchy team is working really hard on exciting projects across Nansledan that will bring a range of benefits to the local community, whether it’s more open space and biodiversity, nursery school provision or interesting shops and high quality office space where local businesses can flourish.”
The project is one of a number of recent developments at Nansledan, which is being built on Duchy of Cornwall land and embodies the principles of architecture and urban design championed by HRH The Duke of Cornwall.
The Duchy is currently investing around £7m on the construction of the western arm of the Newquay Strategic Route (pictured below), which will connect with Trevenson Road near Newquay’s Tretherras School, Sports Centre and Newquay Orchard, all the way back to Market Street, which will be the central hub and commercial heart of Nansledan.
Image: Hugh Hastings and Bad Wolf Horizon
This will enable the Duchy to start work on Market Street in the coming years with its range of shops, workshops, offices, restaurants, supermarket, hotel and pub.
Nansledan’s proposed Market Street. Design, Hugh Petter, Adam Architecture; illustration Chris Draper
Elsewhere the Duchy’s landscape contractors have been levelling and sowing two new playing fields behind Skol Nansledan during the summer and these will be open in the coming months once the grass has had time to establish.
This area will also include play areas for older children and initial designs will be shared with the community for feedback later this year. A new care home is planned opposite the striking school building, creating an impressive gateway to Nansledan.
Also across the road from the school the Duchy has prepared the ground for some parking spaces (pictured below) for those visiting Trewollack Meadows, which covers more than 75 acres of farmland and was sown with wildflower grasslands by the Duchy in 2019 to create a rich natural habitat for wildlife that can be enjoyed by local people.
Image: Hugh Hastings and Bad Wolf Horizon
The Duchy’s comprehensive Green Infrastructure Plan for Nansledan aims to increase wildlife habitat by around 24%, and Cornish hedgerows by almost 50%. A wide variety of new trees and shrubs, planted under the direction of the Duchy’s Head Forester, will contribute to a significant biodiversity net gain that far exceeds new standards.
Meanwhile the Duchy’s housebuilding partners– CG Fry & Son, Morrish Homes and Wainhomes – continue to bring forward new homes with almost 200 in the pipeline on the latest phases of Nansledan. This will include a new Art Deco building across the road from the Seahorse Building on Quintrell Road, with four ground floor commercial units to complement the existing retailers opposite, with flats above.
Nansledan will eventually comprise a diverse range of 4,000 homes and a similar number of jobs in shops, offices, workshops and wider community facilities, along with various green spaces and play areas so that residents can meet their daily needs within a series of walkable neighbourhoods.
So far almost 500 homes have been built and around one third of all the homes in Nansledan will be designated affordable homes for local people on Cornwall Council’s housing waiting list.
