Kimberley Park Lodge, Falmouth date for work for cafe

Construction work is due to start on Kimberley Park Lodge, Falmouth in January of next year with a target completion date estimated to be March 2025.

An artist's impression of how the site will look after the development is completed (Image: M. Hormann Architect)

At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council’s Facilities & Environmental Action Committee on Monday (November 14), councillors were told that the funding and contractors were all in place.

£500k for the project has been sourced from the Shared Prosperity Fund, £30k from National Lottery funding and Art Council England, £77k from Falmouth Town Council and £5k from a Crowdfunder making a total of £610k.

The project incorporates the creation of a café, outdoor seating area and recording studio which will be operated by the council’s project partners Source FM and will be accessible to and inclusive to all elements of the community.

An artist's impression of how the site will look after the development is completed (Image: M.Hormann Architect)

The redevelopment would see the revitalisation of the lodge, which has been empty for many years, as a new communal café and communal radio station with studio and training facilities.

The proposed café will be in the old historic part of the lodge with the biggest change being the removal of the chimney on the ground floor only.

The extension at the rear of the building originally built in the 1970s is beyond repair and will have to be completely demolished and replaced with a wooden slat fronted structure to house the radio studio.

The extension at the rear of the building will have to be demolished (Image: Paul Armstrong)

The two small sheds to the rear of the building will be torn down and a small outbuilding would be built next to the public toilets for uses as a boiler engineering room. The meeting was told the demolition would take place “this side of Christmas.

The start of the site construction phase is provisionally planned for early January 2024. Target completion date is March 2025.

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The management team for the project are: M.Hormann Architect, Falmouth, Crossley Hill Chartered Surveyors, Truro and Martin Perry & Associates Structural Engineers, Liskeard.

The project also incorporates a Community Engagement & Outreach Officer who started their role on October 30.

The role will initially focus upon the identification and engagement with all elements of the local community with a view to reviewing and supporting upskilling in the areas of digital, numeracy and literacy. Funding for this role is managed by Cornwall Council.