Penzance Business Improvement District (BID)

Making Penzance a Better Place to Work, Live and Visit

WHAT IS PENZANCE BID?

Penzance BID is a business-led initiative helping to transform the town into a vibrant, safe and welcoming destination for traders, residents and visitors. From beautifying our streetscape with flowers and flags, to helping boost investment by attracting millions in funding, the BID is playing a central role in the current Penzance Renaissance. There’s certainly much more to do and it will continue its work in a third term from June 2025.

WHAT HAS IT ACHIEVED?

Since its inception in 2015, the BID has brought new colour and life to the town through investments in planting, flags, bunting and street signage, and by actively encouraging investment in vacant properties. It’s also been instrumental in growing our rightly famous calendar of festival events, helping to fund and facilitate Golowan, Montol, many Christmas events, the Food Festival and more.

This is complemented by spearheading better security for our town via CCTV, town marshalls and an incident-reporting app, and introducing a hi-tech business intelligence scheme to provide invaluable town footfall data. Perhaps less well-known is the BID’s role in helping to secure the once-in-a-generation £21.5m of capital investment through the Town Deal, as well as other substantial ‘pots’ of investment that are building our collective prosperity.

Meanwhile, the BID’s Love Penzance website and social channels are growing in presence and promoting a ‘PZ positive’ image nationally and internationally.

Find out more about what the BID does.

HOW DOES THE BID WORK?

Penzance BID is supported by government legislation that gives businesses the power ‘to raise funds locally to be spent locally’ on improving a defined commercial area.

Initially, businesses are consulted on what improvements they want to see in the town, which is embedded into a business plan along with a budget.

Then a BID is created, providing the majority of business ratepayers within that area vote to support the business plan and to invest collectively via a levy based on the rateable value of the business premises.

Penzance BID is a not-for-profit company that works in partnership with Cornwall Council. Its steering group includes representatives from local pubs, retail outlets, accommodation providers and Penzance Town Council.

WHAT’S COMING NEXT?

While there are many exciting projects occurring in the town and significant investment, Penzance is a work in progress. The BID team is proud of our town’s achievements, but our eyes are open – there is still much work to be done.

The BID’s third term aims to build on the work of the past ten years. To see what the BID has done so far, visit our projects page. Then take a look at our goals for the third term by downloading our Third Term Business Plan 2025-2030 from this page.

Get involved

The BID will be all the stronger – and serve you better – if levy payers get involved.

Tag us in your social activity, so we can promote you on our social channels.

Contact Sarah Shaw, BID Manager, at info@penzancebid.co.uk to express interest in joining the BID board or getting involved with our activities. You can also use this email for any general enquiries and to send us write-ups for your dedicated business page on the Love Penzance website.

Finally, fill out the form below if you’d like to subscribe to the Penzance BID newsletter.