Frequently Asked Questions
Take a look at our FAQs for answers on our most common queries about the project.
A CIC (Community Interest Company) is a type of company set up specifically to benefit a community rather than to generate profit for shareholders. Any profit or surplus a CIC makes has to be reinvested back into its community purpose, and its assets are protected for that purpose for the long term. It’s a well-established legal structure used across the UK for exactly this kind of community-led project.
We’re PZArts CIC – a group of volunteers, working to bring the former Penzance School of Art, Museum/Library and Science School buildings on Morrab Road back into community ownership and use. Read more about who we are and how we started here.
We have a detailed vision for education, exhibition, studio and community space across all three buildings. You can read the full plan on our [Project Plan] page.
We’re planning traditional and heritage arts and craft education, including:
– Small-scale metal smithing (jewellery, trinkets and objects)
– Pottery and ceramic sculpture
– Fabric work, including basket and soft fabric weaving
– Wood carving
– Print making
There will be a variety of course structures ranging from one off taster sessions through to courses resulting in diploma and city and guild qualifications.
Alongside courses, we plan to run a materials, tools and merchandise shop and a reference library to support learners and makers.
Not yet. We’re still working to secure the buildings, so we can’t run courses or take bookings at this stage. Once we’re further along, we’ll announce course details here and on our social media – the best thing to do now is [join our mailing list / follow us] here so you hear as soon as sign-ups open.
No, not yet – we’re a volunteer-led organisation until the buildings are secured and funded. If you want to find out more about our long-term plans, come along to one of our gatherings. If you’d like to get involved sooner, we’re always looking for volunteers – see our [Get Involved] page for current opportunities.
It’s a fair question, and the history is a bit layered. The main Art School building was transferred to Truro Penwith College (TPC) in 1999/2000 for a nominal £1, on the condition that TPC continued to deliver part-time art education there for 25 years. The other two buildings – the Library/Art Museum and Science School – were bought by TPC separately, in March 2016. TPC, not the Council, is the current owner of all three buildings, and in 2025 they announced they intend to sell.
Yes. While our core team is made up of committed volunteers rather than professional negotiators, we’ve drawn on advice and support from heritage and regeneration professionals throughout, including guidance secured via our relationship with the Architectural Heritage Fund (see below). To find out more you can visit our [blog] or about us pages.
We’re absolutely open to working with other community organisations who share our commitment to this project – groups that are dedicated, transparent, and operating with the same ethos we are, working towards a shared goal of securing the buildings and delivering a lasting community benefit. In fact, we’re already working with a number of local groups who act as our advisory board, helping shape the project around real community need. Our door stays open to genuine partnership on that basis.
We’ve raised funds through community support so far, including a successful Crowdfunder campaign and a ceramics auction, and we’ve been awarded a grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund to carry out our viability study. We’re now building a wider funding package – combining grants, loans, community shares and donations – to fund the purchase and refurbishment. We’ll share more detail on our funding plans as they firm up.
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a UK charity, founded in 1976, that helps communities bring historic buildings back into good use. It’s been the leading social investor supporting new futures for historic buildings for over 40 years, offering grants and loans specifically to charities, CICs and other social enterprises taking on heritage regeneration projects like ours. Being supported by the AHF is a strong signal of credibility for a project like this one, and their funding and advice have been an important part of our progress so far.
We’re nearing the end of the viability stage of project development (see below). Fundraising for the purchase, however, is just beginning. Our original plan – a blend of National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England grants alongside public donations – is no longer available to us, as the buildings have entered a formal ACV process with two competing bids, and we no longer have the vendor’s agreement to hold the buildings off the open market while we raise funds. We’re developing a new funding path for the purchase and will share more details soon.
Buying the buildings is, in many ways, the easy part. Turning the spaces into a truly outstanding community resource is where the real work – and real cost – lies, and it’s a challenge we’re relishing. We’re fortunate to be working alongside experienced professionals who bring real depth of expertise to projects like this one.
This is the early phase of a heritage regeneration project, typically supported by an AHF Project Viability Grant. During this stage we research and test whether our plans for the buildings are realistic and sustainable – looking at the condition of the buildings, likely costs, community need, and possible uses – before committing to the next, more detailed stage of planning and fundraising. We’re currently in this stage.
A market valuation carried out in August 2025 (commissioned by the current owner) put the buildings at £450,000. Refurbishment and refit costs are still being scoped as part of our viability work, and we’ll publish more detailed figures once they’re confirmed.
An Asset of Community Value (ACV) is an official status a local council can apply to a building or piece of land that has significant value to the local community – for example, for social wellbeing or social interests. Once a building is listed as an ACV, if the owner decides to sell it, the community gets a chance to bid: a moratorium period (usually six months) gives community groups time to put together an offer for the buildings for consideration by the owners before the buildings can go on the open market. The trio of buildings on Morrab Road have now been listed as an ACV, which gives us – and any other community group – a formal window to submit interest and raise the funds needed to buy them.
Yes. Another local group has also expressed interest in acquiring the buildings and while our visions differ, we remain open to working constructively with other community organisations wherever it benefits the buildings’ future. Our focus remains on delivering the strongest possible plan and funding package for our own vision.
If a viable community bid can’t be put together within the moratorium period, the owner would be free to sell the buildings on the open market once that window closes. This is exactly why fundraising and community support matter so much right now – every donation, volunteer hour and shared post helps strengthen our case.
Following us on social media, coming to our gatherings, and simply spreading the word all genuinely help – funders and decision-makers pay close attention to visible community support. See our [Get Involved] page for all the current ways to help.
From the very start of the project we have engaged and consulted with the buildings’ current tenants. Maintaining the buildings’ existing tenants is part of our immediate plan for the period right after purchase, alongside starting basic art school delivery. More detail is on our [Project Plan] page.
The best ways are to follow us on social media, join our mailing list, and check back on this website – we’ll post major updates (funding milestones, meetings, ACV progress) as they happen.
