Spotted in The Cornishman Thursday 12th April 2012

£10 million archive centre is one step closer for Hayle

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Cornishman

HAYLE has been shortlisted as one of three possible locations for the new £10 million archive centre planned for Cornwall.

The town faced stiff competition from 37 other bids but was chosen alongside St Austell and Redruth as a potential site for the new Cornwall Archive and Record Office.

A 1950s picture of the Viaduct Yard in Hayle - the proposed site for the new Cornwall Archive and Record Office.

The centre will house historic manuscripts, books, photographs, maps and recordings and is planned to be future-proof for the next 50 years.

Cornwall Councillor John Pollard, who is leading the bid, welcomed the news.

He said: "I am delighted that Cornwall Council recognises the strength of our bid and the opportunities available for the new Archive and Record Office here in Hayle.

"To be on the shortlist is a great achievement and I am grateful for all the help and support the bid has received so far.

"I appreciate that the next stage will provide many challenges as I know that both Redruth and St Austell have made strong cases but the Hayle bid has the full support of the Town Council, Chamber of Commerce and, significantly, ING, the owners and developers of the South Quay area."

The shortlist of locations was revealed by Cornwall Council on Tuesday ahead of its bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the new centre.

The St Austell and Hayle sites are ready to go ahead to the next stage of technical assessment and costing processes, while the Redruth site requires more work regarding ownership and technical details.

The proposed site in Hayle is the Viaduct Yard, next to Foundry Square, which has lain empty and derelict since the old Foundry buildings were demolished in the 1980s.

Landowner ING RED has indicated it would be prepared to discuss transferring the land to the unitary authority either by sale, lease or partnership.

Councillor Joan Symons, Cabinet member for culture, said: "We are delighted by the level of interest and want to thank everyone who took the time to submit a proposal.

"There was a tremendous range of options put forward and some excellent projects with clear benefits for their areas and service."

A final decision on the site is expected to be announced in June.

The deadline for bids for lottery funding is in November with a decision expected in spring 2013.

As well as being a store for historic records the centre will also be open for the public to give them the opportunity to look at the historic documents and carry out research.

The new centre is needed due to a lack of space currently available in Cornwall.

Councillor Pollard said Hayle could be the perfect choice.

He said: "We know that given the opportunity we can provide Cornwall with something very special."