Town's facelift on target

THIS summer's poor weather may have dampened the spirits – but it's failed to delay work on the redevelopment of St Austell town centre.

The £75 million regeneration scheme is still on target, with contractors working on the open-air shopping centre only losing a day or so due to the weather.

Now units have been let in White River Place, with Starbucks, New Look, Peacocks and Wilkinson among the big names.

On Friday morning, a traditional topping-out ceremony will be held to mark the end of structural work on the cinema.

The new state-of-the-art four-screen cinema – the first be be built in Cornwall for 70 years – is gearing up for its grand opening to the public.

Finishing touches are currently under way and owners WTW Cinemas have started working on the interior before the official ribbon cutting.

Caron Thompson, spokesman for David McLean Developments, said things were really starting to take shape.

"We've been working throughout the bad weather, although obviously it hasn't helped," she said.

"We've been doing lots of tours, from Rotary and Lions clubs to local schools, and we've been saying with construction if you can't work on one area you can always turn to another.

"Sometimes we are playing catch-up, but the end date is the only one that really matters."