Callington has taken its first steps in its bid to revitalise the high street thanks to a successful grant of £17,500 from Cornwall Council in the form of a vitality fund.

The grant can’t be used for capital projects but will fund an investigation into how people use the high street and their experience of it â?? with the aim of improving it in future.

The money will pay for a study primarily composed of a media based survey which will be run largely on the council’s behalf by the University of Plymouth.

Councillor Mike Moore said: ’We are very pleased to draw on that support because it would have cost an awful lot to us if we had had to pay for it from scratch ourselves.’

The study will investigate the user experience of the Callington High Street area with the aim of developing potential features to improve town centre goers experiences â?? investigating what entices people to spend their time and money on the high street.

A technology-based approach ’Plan Our Street’, which uses QR codes will also be implemented in an attempt to engage as many younger adults as possible. Previously the town council has struggled to engage younger people in consulations (as evidenced by the neighbourhood plan surveys).

A boots on the ground approach will also help those who are less technologically able (without smartphones).

Proposed objectives will be to engage at least 150 high street users with on-site interactions to capture current data and provide consultation on improvements, At least ten business owners will also be part of the consultations.

Callington has a relatively small interland population of approximately 6,000 and the study wishes to engage with as many as possible, in order to reap the most accurate data possible. Following this, next steps can be implemented based on findings.

Town centres have seen a gradual decrease in popularity in recent years, with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic exacerbating this trend. Following the opposing rise in the growth and popularity of online shopping, Callington Town Council hopes to make the town centre more attractive and draw shoppers back to the high street by investigating what both businesses and communities can do to revitalise the town’s beating heart, primarily by focusing on residents and what they want to see.

With regards to this fund’s restricted use, town and Cornwall councillor Andrew Long said: ’The last thing we want to do is spend taxpayers’ money for the sake of it. There always has to be a good case for spending money. The fund itself does, however, offer positives, as it is an auspicious door opener for further funding in the future.

Councillor Moore also added: ’Cornwall Council has said that if our vitality town fund goes ahead they will try and run it out to other councils in Cornwall so that is a gold star for Callington.’

To date 20 towns across Cornwall have received grants to further develop their ideas through the Town Vitality Fund. The level of investment committed by Cornwall Council so far is over £1.3m.