AMION is leading the delivery of a three-stage evaluation of the recent £27 million redevelopment of Hall for Cornwall, a major independent arts and theatre venue in Truro which opened in 1997. The evaluation focused on the new creative-sector workspace known as Husa which was part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A period of refurbishment was undertaken at Hall for Cornwall between 2018 to 2021 which transformed the historic Hall for Cornwall building and enabled the theatre to accommodate an increased audience of circa 1,300 people alongside other amenities such as bars, a café and co-working space. Husa is Hall for Cornwall’s creative hub which offers new collaborative workspace and offices for creative practitioners and small businesses to drive growth in Cornwall’s creative industries.
In 2023, AMION Consulting undertook the first-stage of our evaluation process reflecting on the capital project and initial occupancy of the co-working space since its launch. The interim evaluation was completed in summer 2024 and the final evaluation is due in 2025 which will include a quantitative assessments of the impacts of the workspace on the local economy.
Our evaluations to date have concluded that the Husa workspace delivered as part of the Hall for Cornwall redevelopment is having a positive impact in terms of supporting the creative industries in Cornwall through the delivery of its stated outputs and through the Trust’s wider activities in the sector.
AMION have supported numerous evaluations across Cornwall and have excellent relations with local stakeholders including Falmouth University and Cornwall Council. Other recent projects we have evaluated in Cornwall include the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme, the Cornwall LEADER rural support programme, the Cornwall CLLD programme and Falmouth University’s Immersive Business programme. AMION also completed an independent process and impact evaluation of the £14.3 million Getting Building Fund programme on behalf of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.