THE sun has been shining on the first phase of the multi-million- pound redevelopment at Millendreath, near Looe.

The good weather has been helping to welcome back many locals and visitors to the once-popular beach and facilities, which for more than a decade had been left to sink into dilapidation.

On Friday, Espalier Developments, who are investing up to £50m in the Millendreath Project to turn the 75-acre estate into a luxury holiday resort, officially launched their new branding.

The area has been named The Black Rock Beach Resort and, as part of the first phase, temporary facilities have been built to encourage people to come back and enjoy the beach for the summer.

This includes a cafe and restaurant, with Tom Cruddace from Looe as head chef, and a watersports hire centre run by Tom Shaw.

Up to £100,000 has also been spent to reinstate the pier and the adjoining sea water lido, public toilets have been built, and the beach is being cleaned daily. Building of a new sea defence wall is to get under way in October.

The main impression has been the enormous amount of site clearance over the past year which has tidied up the area with the removal of the dilapidated buildings and the forming of a new car park.

Invited guests at the launch were taken on tours of the holiday estate, visiting the locations of the planned Waterfront and Rise developments of 27 new state-of-the-art holiday homes, and the refurbishment programme under way across the estate, including a number of the original 1960s-built holiday villas.

Black Rock's sales director Sean Hodgson said the company had been stunned by the high level of interest in the holiday homes since the national advertising campaign was launched two months ago.

'We have exceeded our year's target for enquiries in just eight weeks, and our first reservations have now been secured. We are considering beginning to build in September/October,' he said.

The development will also include an indoor pool and spa.

Guests, including MP Sheryll Murray and the mayor and mayoress of Looe, David and Annette Bryan, were welcomed by managing director of the Millendreath Project Rick Gibbs.

He said: 'We see ourselves as a rooted part of the community. Our business model and vision is to build holiday homes for sale or rent with light touch management.

'The selling point here is the place itself, with its natural environment and terrain. It is special and deserves to be made special again.

'Our vision is to create a resort community which recognises that it is a place where people live, come on holiday, and enjoy the natural surroundings.

'We are looking forward to hosting many kinds of events in association with local activity groups and sports clubs, and to develop a range of attractions that will contribute to the growth of The Black Rock Resort community.'

The mayor of Looe commented: 'There has definitely been an improvement here and it's good to see the valley coming back up again after how it went down over the years. This is good for tourism in Looe and the developers seem keen to help the area.'

Cllr Robert Henly, chairman of St Martin's parish council, said that he was personally in favour of the improvements. 'There are employment opportunities here, which is important, but we still have to listen to the concerns of all the residents,' he said.

Cornwall cllr Armand Toms said: 'The area is certainly better than it was. It has been tidied up, which is a start, and the majority of people want to see something positive happening in Millendreath. The development will make the area a better place to live and visit.'

A community event was held at Millendreath on Saturday.