We are delighted to announce we have received planning permission for Truro School’s new Music Project. The proposals will see the creation of a new multi-million-pound music centre and a refurbished multi-use hall, fostering musical participation, excellence and inclusion within the school and the wider community.

Scheduled for completion at the start of 2026, the project will offer state-of-the-art facilities for pupils, the Truro community and beyond. The project also paves the way for improved student wellbeing.

Drawing upon the principles of regenerative design, the architecture will make the most of the existing structures on site by retrofitting the Assembly Hall. Elevating the school’s current music facilities, the project will also serve the surrounding community, bringing a holistic approach to economic, social, environmental and cultural benefit.

Internally, natural materials, excellent levels of daylight and a mixed-mode ventilation strategy will combine to create a positive and successful teaching environment.

The proposals have been developed with the future in mind and so enable spaces to be reconfigured for different uses. A flexible MEP strategy will allow for the incorporation of a site wide, ground source heat pump to be included when this comes online.

Laurence Pinn, Director at Tate + Co, said, “This project is a fantastic opportunity to create a new and exciting music school at the heart of Cornwall’s music community. We are delighted to have worked in collaboration with Cornwall Council, Truro School and a brilliant design team to achieve this consent. Whilst the building will provide 21st Century facilities, the design echoes the unique character of the historic core of the school. The project will create a new creative hub, connecting the music department with the reinvented Assembly Hall alongside the departments of Art and Design Technology. A generous front door and atrium will welcome the community.”

Truro School Head, Andy Johnson, commented, “I am proud to be heading a School that embraces the transformative power of music education, investing with prudence and ambition in the cultural enrichment of the School and Cornwall’s wider community.”

Head of Service at Cornwall Music Service Trust, (CMST), Gareth Churcher, said, “Cornwall Music Service Trust is a charity providing music teaching, support, and therapy for close to 10,000 children across over 240 schools or settings in Cornwall and we see this facility as incredibly important for music education in Cornwall. We are now in our 10th year of operation and are very excited about the tangible opportunities the Music Project will present, providing an efficient and effective environment to facilitate our work as a charity.”