Public Invited to View St Ives Vicarage Before Flat Conversion

An open day has been organized for the public to view a historic building prior to the commencement of significant renovation work. The St Ives Community Land Trust is converting the town’s former vicarage, which has been vacant since 2016, into six affordable flats and has scheduled this event to inform local residents about the initiative. Jill Block, the project lead for the non-profit organization, stated: “We are now ready to start work on renovating and converting the building and are delighted to have the opportunity to stage an open day.” The Old Vicarage Flats in St Ives will be accessible to the public on Saturday, from 10:00 to 14:00 GMT. The scheduled renovations will transform the historic structure in the town centre into two one-bedroom and four two-bedroom affordable rental flats for local residents. This project received £750,000 from the St Ives Town Deal Fund. It is set to be the first community-led housing initiative completed within the town centre. Ms Block further commented: “Whilst local people may not have seen major changes to the exterior of the building over the past few months, we have been working very hard behind the scenes to appoint a contractor and prepare for the start of the main refurbishment works.” Originally known as the Parsonage and constructed in the late 1830s, the edifice served as the residence for St Ives’ vicars until the early 1950s. Subsequently, St Ives Borough Council acquired the building, converting its upper levels into four flats. Concurrently, Cornwall County Council owned the ground floor, which was utilized by various local organizations. In 2019, the trust purchased the Old Vicarage, which had been vacant since 2016, using funds generated by the community. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.