Housing crisis in Cornwall and Devon border village laid bare

The dire housing situation in a village on the Cornwall and Devon border was laid bare at a planning meeting this week after housing association LiveWest applied to build 20 affordable homes there.

The matter was brought to Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee on Thursday (November 21) after the the local parish council and some residents opposed the development citing road safety concerns and a lack of infrastructure. However, the area’s Cornwall councillor and a villager gave impassioned statements as to why there is a desperate need for the 100 per cent affordable rental properties in Millbrook on the Rame Peninsula.

A planning officer said LiveWest had considered the views of the local community concerning the houses, which would be built on land at Southdown Road, and would be “a high quality scheme which would raise the standard of development in the area without being conspicuous in longer views.

“It would be 100 per cent affordable housing to meet local need, which is a significant material planning consideration in a housing crisis. It has been evidenced that the local highway network could satisfactorily accommodate the development.”

Those against the proposal were first to speak. Roger Bews, who has lived in Millbrook for 25 years, reminded the committee an application for housing on the site had previously been refused, which was backed up at appeal in 2010.

Sharon Lewis, from Millbrook Parish Council, which voted against the application, said the council supported affordable housing in principle and recognised the need for this type of housing in the area. However, the council believed there were problems with infrastructure to support the development.

“The addition of more housing in this location will inevitably result in more road traffic which will only worsen the situation. There are frequent gridlocks in both directions with delays of 20-plus minutes several times a day, and the risk of severe delay to emergency services is already understood,” she added.

“There is very limited employment in Millbrook and on the Rame Peninsula which results in people having to travel to Plymouth through narrow lanes and crossing the River Tamar. The infrequent bus service takes an hour and a half each way, so cars are used to limit the commute time. The transport statement which appears to have been taken at face value is not site specific and does not take into account the local knowledge of the unique location on the peninsula.

“There are limited amenities in Millbrook – there is no bank or dentist, and the GP surgery is part-time so a trip to Torpoint or Plymouth is necessary. At present it can take up to two weeks to obtain a GP appointment.”

Cllr Lewis said: “The result would be an increase in population exacerbating the issues I’ve mentioned. We also have concerns about the lack of a footpath on the development side of Southdown Road, which could be a problem for the walk-to-school route on a busy road where unfortunately the 20mph speed limit is not adhered to.”

However, Millbrook resident Matthew Beadnall, who also works in the village, said the houses were vital to help local families like his.

A statement read out on his behalf said: “I’ve lived in Millbrook all my life – I couldn’t think of anywhere better to live. My partner, also a Millbrook local, and I are bringing our three young children up here. Less than two years ago we were given an eviction notice from our two double bedroom private rent. Due to this we had to move into a two-bed flat as there were no other local options available.

“So for the last two years we’ve been living in an overcrowded flat which was okay until our family grew. Now we are in a really difficult position where we can’t find or afford any local housing. This is why we are in dire need of local housing that is affordable for people like myself who are on a minimum wage, trying to raise a family, so we’re not forced to move out of our local area.

“This proposal would help so many families in our situation. If successful, and my family was lucky enough to get a property, it would mean the flat we currently live in would open up to help other families. These proposed 20 houses could potentially help up to 40 families into homes that are best suited to them.”

Local Cornwall Council member Cllr Kate Ewert agreed. She thanked the applicant for “bending over backwards” to accommodate the needs of the community following public consultation. She said with any application like this in a village the size of Millbrook there will be objections, but she stressed how important the proposed development would be in the area.

“In Millbrook and on the wider Rame Peninsula we’ve been at the very sharp end of the housing crisis for an extended period. We have an over-abundance of second homes and holiday lets and a serious shortage of homes available for rent let alone at affordable rates.

“We have recently had a housing needs survey done and while the results are still in draft form it shows that the need is very much here in this community. Since 2009 there have been nine affordable houses delivered in the area, with 83 households on the waiting list [officers said that has since increased to 88].

“We have somewhere near ten families from the village currently in emergency accommodation as well as a significant number living in vans and small caravans, and that is not through lifestyle choice but because they have no choice at all. They want to be in the community that they have called home all of their lives.”

She added: “You can clearly see that we have a need for genuinely affordable social housing here. It’s also important to know that there are limited areas suitable to be developed on the Rame Peninsula. In reality, the parishes of Maker-with-Rame and St John will add to this number as these communities are so linked.

“These families are already living here – we have enough need within the village to fill those houses ten times over, so this isn’t going to add extra vehicles. The voids left will no doubt be filled by folk that are so desperate within the locality.” She agreed that by building the 20 homes it would probably have a positive knock-on effect for 40 families in all.

Like others, Cllr Ewert called for a footpath to make it safer for children getting to school and a new skate park. The committee heard that the highways department didn’t feel the footpath was essential as there is one on the opposite side of the road, which is in a 20mph zone with pedestrian crossings.

The development was approved unanimously.