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Kerrier: CoSERG dispell myths on planned development

The Cornish Social and Economic Research Group in a response to the West Briton's front page coverage last week of plans to build thousands of new houses in the Camborne and Redruth area, says the paper was indeed right to raise doubts about Kerrier’s draft action plan for 6,000 new houses, which in reality is less of a ‘bonanza’ than portrayed. CoSERG goes on to say, a number of myths of this proposaed development need to be dispelled.
First, this idea does not originate with Kerrier District Council. The shadowy and unelected ‘South West Regional Assembly’ at Taunton decided the number of houses that should be built in Cornwall. The Urban Regeneration Company, another unelected body, has pushed for higher house-building rates for Camborne-Redruth, something not subjected to much critical scrutiny by the District Council. Second, as much as 70% of the land planned for housing is greenfield land, not so-called brownfield. In addition, 78% of the land needed for the extra factory and office space to employ this new population will be greenfield land. Third, only 25% of the new houses will be ‘affordable’, which presumably means that 75% will be unaffordable. Moreover, the proportion of ‘affordable’ houses in these schemes are lower than at Newquay and St Austell, where a minimum of 45% of houses have to be affordable’. Why the difference? These houses are not in the main being built for the people who already live here. So who are they being built for?

There are a number of other unanswered questions, including

- Why have the people of Camborne-Redruth not been asked if they want their towns to become a large conurbation?
- Why is Camborne-Redruth getting far more than its fair share of the housing allocated to Cornwall?
- How much will it cost to provide extra schools and other services so they can cope with this increase of population, funds which could be used to improve existing facilities?
- How will the NHS and dental services fare, given the strains they are already under?
- What is the effect of all this on carbon emissions and global warming?
- Who is set to gain financially from these developments?
- And finally, did any Kerrier councillors oppose this plan?

We are told the plan is ‘far sighted’, but this looks like the sight seen through the rear-view mirror. Relying on house building and population growth for regeneration and basically keeping our fingers crossed that this will somehow magically create 6,000 jobs merely repeats the policies of the 1960s and 70s. They failed then; why should they succeed now? The population of Camborne-Redruth has already grown by 25% since 1971, four times the rate for England. Now the plan is for it to rise by another 20% in just 20 years. Do we really want or require such a massive rate of population growth? Is this worth the price in terms of the degradation of our environment and heritage that will inevitably follow?

CoSERG has produced a briefing paper that expands on these points and exposes some of the myths of housing-led regeneration. For a free copy contact us at CornishSocEconG@aol.com