Cornwall Archives a Step Closer

The prospect of a state of the art facility to house Cornwall Council's treasure trove of historic manuscripts, books, photographs, maps, and recordings in its archives and historic library collections is a step closer after Cornwall Council Cabinet members (meeting on 25 January) agreed the next stage in the process for selecting a site.

Council owned land and property will be assessed alongside other possible sites and the call is going out for organisations and communities to submit expressions of interest.

Julian German, Cabinet Member for Waste Management, Climate Change and Historic Environment who sits on the Council's archive working group which put together the proposed site selection process says: "The deadline for site proposals is 5 March, which is quite soon, but we need to get moving if we are going to be able to submit timely bids to funding organisations. At this stage we are not looking for detailed and carefully crafted bids but for the best possible site.

We want the process to be open and transparent and have set out some high level site criteria. We need a site which is large enough to accommodate the buildings which will be needed to house the current collections and allow for future expansion. Value for money is of paramount importance so who owns the land and how much work would be needed to make the site viable also needs to be a key consideration."

Other criteria which will be applied when considering a potential site includes access, local support and community benefit and positive impact on the environment, historic landscape and heritage. 

"After the 5 March deadline there will be an assessment process to identify a short-list and we will then recommend a preferred option to Cabinet" adds Cllr Collin Brewer, the Council's Heritage Champion.

Joan Symons, Cabinet Member for Culture, said "The prospect of a new archive and record office for Cornwall which will transform access to our archive and historic libraries is very exciting. It will give Cornwall a permanent, sustainable home for the collections; a single point of focus where visitors can access collections, information and expertise on the history of Cornwall and vibrant, modern space for research, exhibitions and learning."