PEOPLE attending a drop-in event about the redevelopment of a key area in St Austell were keen to ensure that the mature trees on the site would be saved from the axe.

Developer Treveth will be providing new homes and commercial premises on the site of the former Cornwall Council offices off Penwinnick Road.

The offices, surrounded by some fine trees and green open spaces, were demolished in the spring in preparation for the mixed-use scheme.

Representatives of Treveth were at the informal drop-in event, held at the Cornwall Hotel on Pentewan Road, to discuss the future of the 3.7-hectare site with members of the public and to gather feedback.

The event was the first of several due to be held before the submission of a planning application later this year.

Treveth said the drop-in had gone positively and that the company’s representatives had been able to confirm that most of the trees on the site would be retained. And the plan is to keep the green open spaces and enhance them.

The development is the first for Treveth in St Austell, the Penwinnick Road site having been acquired by the company from Cornwall Council in the autumn of last year.

The new homes built will be prioritised for people who live, work or have a family connection in the immediate vicinity of the town. These homes will include one, two, three and four-bed properties. There will be affordable and open market rental properties, as well as homes to buy.

Treveth said 35 people, local to St Austell, had attended the drop-in event.

Treveth senior development manager Emma Rodgers said: “The general feeling from the local people who attended was that they were pleased to see something being done with the site at Penwinnick Road, which has been vacant now for some time.

“There were no major concerns raised about the regeneration project – most of the enquiries were regarding the Section 106 contributions and a desire to see these go towards healthcare and education. There was also a keenness to see the majority of trees on the site retained, which will be the case.”

The first formal public consultation on the scheme is likely go ahead later in the summer or early autumn. Treveth will announce the date on its social media channels, website and via a press release, but it is also encouraging interested parties to visit its website, www.treveth.co.uk, and leave details in the online questionnaire so they can receive notifications.

Founded by Cornwall Council in 2019, Treveth was set up to improve the quality of rented accommodation and to increase the availability of homes across the rental, shared ownership and private rental sectors for local people in the county.