27th February 2025
Cornwall Council planning to deliver more new homes
AS already reported on this website, the Government has told Cornwall Council that it needs to provide more housing in the future, so the County has instigated a ‘call for sites’ process to collect evidence about land that may be available for building.
Some sites might even be used for meeting the need for homes sooner than in years to come.
Local councils have been asked to provide information about the deliverability and suitability of land in their areas for potential development as part of the preparation of a new Local Plan for Cornwall.
In some cases the County Council has already carried out an initial assessment of environmental issues concerning various plots.
Local councils throughout Cornwall have until Wednesday, March 19, to suggest sites and these will be put before a meeting of the Cornwall Growth Board on Thursday, March 27.
The County says that it is looking for parishes and groups who want to see more housing in their area to consider whether they know of any land that they want to put forward as suitable for use.
It says that 100 sites for 100 houses with willing councils and willing landowners could potentially unlock 10,000 much-needed homes more quickly and with less cost. That would greatly help to meet levels of housing need.
It also looks likely that Neighbourhood Plans will be replaced by Neighbourhood Priorities Statements (NPS) in the next few years.
These ‘Statements’ will be produced by local councils to tell Cornwall Council about the priorities for development in a council’s area.
Similar to Neighbourhood Plans but shorter and more focused on local priorities, the NPS do not contain planning policies or allocations but will set out the ambitions and priorities of communities in terms of the need for infrastructure; the design and location of new housing and the places that are best for new homes and jobs.
Although there is no obligation on parish and town councils to produce statements, the NPS will be a way to influence the planning policies in the new Local Plan and could have a real say in how growth can benefit an area in the longer term.
Cornwall Council will be obliged to take them into account when writing the new Local Plan and reflect them in policies.