Disused property renovated to meet housing demand

DISUSED properties are being brought back into use by Cornwall Council to provide accommodation for people struggling to find somewhere to live during the current housing crisis.

The projects will provide urgently-needed accommodation, in turn giving time to roll out the longerterm plan to rapidly increase the number of homes available for local people.

In Penzance, the council has purchased a large disused cottage, which has been converted into a self-contained home for four people and will soon be occupied by its first residents.

Local contractors have been used wherever possible and in Penzance the refurbishment works were carried out by PH Construction and Consultancy.

In Newquay, a vacant councilowned building is in the process of being brought back to life. The building will provide good quality accommodation for a further five people.

The council has also bought a property in Penryn and is planning a large-scale refurbishment over the autumn to provide accommodation for 12 people in six purpose-designed shared flats.

Cornwall Council is also looking for more large properties for refurbishment or conversion.

To meet a different aspect of local need, the purchase of onebedroom flats, houses and bungalows is now also well under way.

To date, 12 properties have been bought, with another 21 in the conveyancing process. Overall, the council hopes to have bought around 60 homes throughout the Duchy by mid2022 to help single homeless residents access medium-term accommodation at an affordable rate.

Olly Monk, the council’s portfolio holder for housing and planning, said: “It is our aim to end the use of short-term, expensive, hotel and B&B accommodation, which offers no security in terms of length of stay. These projects will provide a secure, comfortable and independent home for people.

“We have other properties in the pipeline for a similar purpose. This council has made a commitment to do as much as it can to ensure local people have access to good quality homes at prices they can afford and from a landlord they can trust.”

The council is working to address housing pressures in a variety of ways, such as expanding the temporary single-berth cabin schemes, with units being set up at New County Hall in Truro and Rosewarne car park in Camborne, on top of existing sites in Truro and Penzance that were put in place at the start of the pandemic.

A landmark modular homes project is also under way at Cowlins Mill, Pool, as well as the new Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub in Truro.

The council says it is also continuing to work to buy homes for social housing; build more council houses as well as affordable homes for local people to rent or buy; unlock the potential for town centres to be regenerated to provide more housing; support community-led organisations that want to deliver their own homes and offer loans to bring empty homes back into use.

It is our aim to end the use of short-term, expensive, hotel and B&B accommodation OLLY MONK