A creative hub, named Quayworks, will be formed, as part of a major redevelopment to create Cornwall’s National Theatre on the existing Hall for Cornwall site in Truro, providing managed workspace to support the development of Cornwall’s creative industries.  It will provide spaces for rental by the hour or day, shared space for creative businesses to rent on a longer term basis and a base for Hall for Cornwall staff.

The building will be redeveloped to a high standard, with superfast broadband available throughout.  The mezzanine floor will hold lettable spaces, targeted at Cornwall’s creative industries and located in the same building as a cultural organisation with far reaching public and private sector links.  Some of the lettable space will have shared occupancy and combined with the significant elements of meeting and breakout space and access to the creative companies and individuals that produce creative content for the theatre and collectively this will encourage collaboration and innovation.

The first floor and upper mezzanine will provide office accommodation for the theatre’s own creative team, will allow the co-location of the organisation’s office staff, who are currently split across two sites.  The careful insertion of a new mezzanine above the existing first floor assembly room, will create the space required to allow the organisation to comfortably relocate and subsequently expand as incomes associated with the new facility grow.

QuayWorks will be driven by a partnership between the Hall For Cornwall and Falmouth University, who will target graduates and new start-ups in the digital and creative industries through their Launchpad Programme, providing a creative workspace option for those looking to build businesses that could benefit from this type of cluster support. The project will provide appropriate, high specification facilities and will maximise the connections that the wider cultural organisation can provide, including building networks, responding to internal commission opportunities, using the venue as a platform for business engagement or product placement and accessing the theatre’s market intelligence.

The target beneficiaries are creative sector businesses in Cornwall, through the provision of much needed quality workspace with improved opportunities for collaboration and growth, the Hall for Cornwall through the provision of an improved facility to provide opportunities to create additional income and to improve its financial resilience, and the people of Cornwall, through the provision of an improved theatre complex of regional status.

QuayWorks will also create clear links to the wider business support provision across Cornwall and will liaise with the Growth Hub team throughout the life of the project.  The organisation will ensure that QuayWorks beneficiaries are referred through the Growth Hub to Cornwall’s business support product portfolio, as appropriate.

The QuayWorks project will be a key component of advancing the development of the creative industries sector in Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly, supporting the sector to make a major contribution to job creation and growth.