A small group of likeminded souls came together in 2009 and formed a campaign group to help achieve a stadium here in Cornwall for everyone. In the Cornish language, Sportva Kernow.
These people included a core group, Peter Marks, Bill Rees, Margaret (RIP) and Rod Lyon, Chris and Reg Davison and Rudi Grenfell. The wider group included Robin Taylor, David Meggs, David Martin (RIP) and a number of others.
The S4C Group assisted the developer, Rob Saltmarsh of Inox Developers, Exeter, who provided the plans for a multi purpose stadium for the community of Cornwall and donated the land upon which it was to be built. The business case was predicated on community ownership and operation, with income generated from the core tenants who were to be, the Cornish Pirates Rugby and Truro and Penwith College. It was thought Truro City FC, and others, would also become tenants.
The original aim was to obtain planning permission for the stadium and for Inox to fund the build cost through their investors. Commercial enterprise would buy into the Inox development and as part of this put a sum of money sufficient to cover the cost of stadium construction.
The Stadium Partners were the Truro & Penwith College and the Cornish Pirates Rugby. At various times in its history other interested parties included the NHS, the Cornwall Council, Truro City FC, however the College and the Cornish Pirates were the two commercial bodies driving the project with Inox.
There were many ups and downs in the process but eventually planning permission was achieved.
By this time the worldwide financial collapse intervened and the funding disappeared. Dicky Evans of the Cornish Pirates and Martin Tucker of the Truro & Penwith College stepped forward to complete the project.
The S4C Group had undertaken much lobbying of business and the Council, in the process obtaining 25,000 signatures on a petition supporting the stadium planning application.
One initiative was to set a schools competition to design the stadium.
We were thrilled to be asked to take part in the Cornwall Stadium design project and it has certainly fired the imagination of many of our children. We decided to offer the project as a voluntary competition, making our computer facilities available at lunchtimes and after school over a two-week period.
Most of the children that entered decided to use a sophisticated computer design programme, usually used by much older students. They had used this software before to design Tudor buildings and space stations and it was a good choice for this project. Many of the children also worked on their designs at home.
In the end we were able to send off 60 entries and the children invited their parents in to see their fantastic designs. All of them could show their stadiums from an external view and then take their parents on a virtual walk through to see the facilities.
We would like to thank the organisers for involving our school and I know that the judges will be amazed to see the creativity, innovation and high quality produced by children at primary school.
Of course, now that you have fired up everyone’s imagination you need to get on and build it!
Paul Hodson
Headteacher – Penpol School
When we heard about the competition to design the new Cornwall Stadium in Truro we were very, very excited!
We immediately set to work thinking and designing ideas for the stadium. We worked for over twelve hours at the weekend using a computer design programme. We started with the overall shape of the stadium working from the bottom upwards putting the football pitch and running track in place.
One of the best features of our stadium is the giant television at the entrance. This is a good idea because spectators can see what’s going on while they wait anxiously to get in. Another amazing feature is a pool beneath a retractable roof. Of course, this will be an Olympic size pool for major events.
We also planned restaurants so that families could spend the day there with a private restaurant for players so that they can get together and discuss the match after the game. The referees and line judges can join in too and the managers!
The inside hall could be used for events like athletics, fencing and basketball. In fact, loads of sports can take place there.
The main events will obviously take place in the main arena and this includes music concerts. The roof will have special places for fireworks that are set off at the end of the performances.
It’s a great idea to have a Cornwall Stadium and Truro is a good place to build it because it is in the middle of the county and most people can get to Truro either in cars or better still by using public transport. We were hoping that there would be a little train station and bus depot at the stadium linked to Truro.
In order to keep it green, we would like to see hundreds of solar panels on the roof and we would encourage people to share car journeys or use trains or buses. Of course, recycled materials would be used in the building and we would have recycling bins all over the place!
The restaurants built near the car parks and in the stadium would encourage healthy eating with unlimited free salad and kids eating for free.
Come on Cornwall – build our stadium!
By Megan, Harry and Scott.
There it sits, the great Cornwall Stadium,
A slumbering giant looking up at the sky.
If it could see then what would it see…
Happy families eager and waiting,
Joyful children, eyes clear and wide,
Whistle blowing referees, linesmen waving,
Dreaming, cheering for your side.
Strikers, defenders tackles flying,
Corners, penalties, “He’s offside!”
Crowd all singing, ears all ringing,
Groaning, moaning as players collide.
Pirate’s players swerving, diving,
Biceps, triceps, muscular thighs.
Leaping, catching, calling, falling,
Sprinting, roaring, scoring tries.
Rock stars playing, huge crowds swaying,
Music blaring, screaming loud.
Drummers drumming, guitarists strumming,
Banners waving in the crowd.
Gymnasts vaulting, fencers thrusting,
Athletes running side-by-side.
Cyclists sweating, swimmers diving,
Spectators rushing to get inside.
Skies are darkening, folk start leaving,
Heading home with merry smiles.
Recalling stories and magic moments,
Recounting memories over the miles.
The giant watches as the people head home with happy hearts…
By Katie, Nina and Kate.
Since 2015 there have been years of supporter frustration waiting for the then ‘Stadium Partners’, with Cornwall Council, to provide the £3m funding.
The Cornwall Council had voted to provide £3m funding to the Stadium for Cornwall (S4C) project from their Capital Budget and we hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would announce Government funding for the stadium in his Autumn 2021 budget statement. Instead, the Government suggested an application for their funds be made from the Levelling Up scheme, which the Council subsequently removed from their application, and the Council’s promised £3m funding was not forthcoming.
Following planning approval and as part of the planned progression to building and operating a multi-purpose, community stadium for all of Cornwall, a Community Interest Company (CIC) was set up in 2021.
Within the commercial dealings between Cornwall Council, and Inox around the Council’s Langarth Garden Village project, Inox handed the S4C land temporarily to Cornwall Council for the CIC to own and manage on behalf of the community of Cornwall.
Rob Saltmarsh of Inox Developers always intended his parcel of ’Stadium for Cornwall’ land at Langarth, adjacent to his Langarth housing development and the Council owned Park & Ride site, be handed over to the community of Cornwall for the 10,000 capacity community stadium. It has transpired, for legal reasons, this had to be completed via the Cornwall Council. Mr Saltmarsh transferred the land to Cornwall Council in 2020.
This action, the handover of the land to the community of Cornwall, has not happened.
Ironically, TCFC, who had proposed their own separate football ground at Silverbow, Threemilestone, will now occupy the land intended for all of Cornwall and it will become a sports hub for the Threemilestone and Truro football clubs once funding is found for the second, ‘community hub’ styled pitch. TCFC will occupy the main pitch.
Cornwall Council are in the process of transferring the change of use of the S4C land to TCFC, we understand, on a lease with a peppercorn rent. Hopefully the correct planning process is being undertaken to achieve this.
After the years of close scrutiny by Cornwall Council of the business case for the S4C stadium project, and with this S4C business case having been approved in Whitehall, we wonder what scrutiny Cornwall Council have undertaken in making their decision to move TCFC on to the S4C land?
We trust they have carried out due diligence checks to ensure the football business case is sound.
The CIC was closed in late 2023 following the failure of Cornwall Council to hand over the S4C land; to provide their element of the promised funding from its Capital budget; and their withdrawal of the intended inclusion of the S4C project in the Cornwall Council Levelling Up Stage 2 funding application to Central Government.
Cornwall Council received over 25,000 supporter signatories for the iconic Stadium for Cornwall, the largest petition it has ever received in support of a planning application. This is much larger than the fanbase of the county’s football and rugby teams, showing far broader public support for the project than only sports fans.
The S4C group of independent, voluntary campaigners are sad their efforts to provide employment, degree level education, a multi £m financial boost to the local and wider Cornish economy, professional and amateur sporting opportunity for the youth of Cornwall, provision for disability sport and interests, a large scale entertainment facility for concerts, and a general health and feel good opportunity for the population of all of Cornwall has now been lost.
As the Cornish motto says…. Onen Hag Oll, One and All
