independent Cornish news and comment

North Cornwall backs Prime Minister's Affordable Housing Call

Responding to Gordon Brown's call for more publicly owned land to be used for affordable housing, North Cornwall District Council says that it has already made it a priority to develop land in its ownership wherever possible.




Commenting, Councillor Graham Facks-Martin, Chairman of NCDC, said

"increasing the delivery of affordable housing in the council's highest

priority and we are constantly looking at all the land that we own and

bringing forward sites with potential. These include the major scheme

underway at Broadclose, Bude, which includes 114 affordable homes,

currently the largest on a single site anywhere in Cornwall, another

current development of 13 affordable homes on part of the car park at

Race Hill, Launceston and the recently started scheme for 14 affordable

homes at Green Lane, Bodmin."



The Council has a proven track record of enabling affordable housing on

its own land and last year 41 of the 105 affordable homes completed in

North Cornwall were on Council land, including the recently completed

scheme of 10 affordable homes for rent at Penmead, Delabole



A rural development of seven homes for rent at Egloskerry is just about

to start, in partnership with Ocean Housing. In addition the Council is

currently working with Housing Association partners to bring forward

schemes on Council land at Blisland, Cardinham, Marchamchurch, St.

Breward, St. Merryn, and Wadebridge. The Council is also currently

completing the sale of land at Priory Road, Bodmin, which is expected to

deliver a further 90 additional affordable houses as part of a bigger

private sector led housing development.



"I would endorse the Prime Minister's call for other public bodies to

release suitable land" added Councillor Facks-Martin "which can only be

helpful in delivering much needed affordable housing. Last year the

Council facilitated the sale of the former East Cornwall Hospital to

Devon and Cornwall Housing Association and we need to see more of this

type of co-operation in tackling something which we have long seen as a

key issue for our area and is now clearly high on the national agenda."