It doesn't seem so long ago that Cornwall's sprawling urban Camborne Pool Redruth corridor was struggling to keep up in a county that seemed to be leaving it behind.

A legacy of long since shut down heavy industry, poor transport links and decaying housing stock made it the butt of many a joke.

The fact that the ordinary, down-to-earth towns are sandwiched between arty St Ives to the north and thriving Falmouth to the south made the distinction that much greater.

But the CPR area is limping no more and in an impressively short period of time has transformed from poor man to powerhouse.

Indeed the word "transformation" cannot be overused, said Nigel Tipple, chief executive of CPR Regeneration, the European funding-backed organisation, which has injected new life into the area.

"This has been a transformational project," said Mr Tipple.

"In some ways the area is unrecognisable.

"People here are rightly, fiercely proud of their heritage and history.

"What has changed is that people have started to recognise that all that early talk, all those early promises have started to fall into place.

"I'm feeling tremendously positive about the future.

"We are not being complacent though. There is still a huge task ahead.

"But what we have demonstrated is that after all the hard work, after all the blood, sweat and tears, that this is paying dividends for the people of Cornwall and for the future."

The jewel in the crown of the CPR development is the Pool Innovation Centre, which is due to open this summer.

The centre, designed as a magnet for quality, professional businesses, already has 20 per cent of its floor space let – an impressive achievement given the prevailing economic climate.

Mr Tipple said that there were still more than a dozen serious enquiries in hand to move into the landmark building.

Another development masterminded by CPR Regeneration, which is also coming to fruition, are the much needed improvements to the East Hill junction, which links the arterial A30 dual carriageway to Pool.

After a multimillion-pound programme, the newly rechristened East Hill Gateway has removed the horrendous bottleneck created by an overloaded double roundabout.

The prime sites around the junction will be actively marketed this summer and an agent has already been appointed.

Up for grabs are sites which include a range of opportunities from 50-60,000sq ft of employment land to a 7,500sq ft site earmarked for a business-focussed hotel.

The area has suffered in the economic downturn, Mr Tipple would be the first to admit. But he says the difficulties have encouraged businesses to be innovative.

"The real strength of many local businesses is their flexibility. They are fleet of foot and the situation has encouraged them to rise to the challenge," Mr Tipple said.

This summer will also see the first applications submitted for the development at nearby Dolcoath, which will include 379 homes, 40 per cent of which are affordable, as well as employment and a small amount of retail space.

The landscape around the CPR area is dominated by a symbol of its past; the towering monument of South Crofty Mine's winding gear.

But anyone thinking that is strictly a relic would do well to press their ears to the ground.

The latest reports are that mining could be back in business in the area within two years if ambitious plans to extract copper, zinc, silver and even gold at South Crofty attract sufficient international investment.

Significant deposits of a range of valuable minerals have been identified during intense underground explorations at the site.

Hopes are now high that by using modern techniques, the mine – which closed in 1998 – will once again provide well-paid jobs in the area, as well as giving a boost to the wider economy, and to Cornish pride.

Already more than 60 people are employed full-time at South Crofty, with shifts of 20 drillers working 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In Penzance, plans were this year approved which will cement the town's sea link to the Isles of Scilly.

The multimillion-pound scheme to improve the town's antiquated working harbour ran into protests last year with business calling for a scheme which created a single passenger and freight terminal to get the green light.

But environmental protestors wanted to see the development split between a waterside passenger terminal and an out of town freight terminal.

In February, the single site option won the backing of Cornwall Council paving the way for the signing of a new agreement on who will operate the route.