Permission has been granted for 38 new homes plus three self-build plots in Tolvaddon which will be the first to be built under Cornwall Council’s Contemporary Cornish Living scheme.

The scheme aims to provide attractive, high quality homes that people can afford in areas of high demand. The development at Tolvaddon will include a mixture of one, two and three bedroomed homes and will include open market sale properties, and affordable and private rental properties. The first homes built will be for private rent and will be ready for occupation in October, with the full development completed by the end of next year.

Local residents were invited to consultation events in February to comment on the size and style of the homes they think should be built, including whether they prefer a traditional or modern look and the number of bedrooms, external finishes and the type of communal areas the housing developments should have. The feedback from these events has shaped the development and is reflected in the new site and house plans.

Some of the changes which have been made following the consultation include making homes more flexible so that they can be adapted to meet changing needs, making sure that they are suitable for a wide range of residents, and can adapt to the user over the course of their lifetime by optimising available space, such as roof spaces. The homes will also be energy efficient so that they are cost effective to heat.

The Tolvaddon site is one of two pilot sites being progressed by Contemporary Cornish Living with the other, subject to planning permission, in Bodmin on the former St Lawrence’s Hospital site. The Contemporary Cornish Living scheme will be rolled out to other sites across Cornwall with an ambition to deliver 1,000 homes by 2022. The proposed housing developments will be self-financing. The council will use the money raised from renting and selling the homes to pay back the money it will borrow to undertake the developments.

Joyce Duffin, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for housing and environment, said: “Cornwall needs more good quality homes, both to rent and to buy, and the market alone can’t meet this demand. Our housing development programme will see the council directly invest in and build attractive, high quality homes that people can afford in areas of high demand.

"Over the next five years, our housing development programme will directly invest £240 million into the economy, unlocking construction jobs and providing local employment and skills development opportunities in the process.”

Malcolm Moyle, Cornwall councillor for Pool and Tehidy, added: “This scheme is good news for Tolvaddon. It will deliver new rented homes with long term secure tenure in an area with regular public transport that’s close to a vibrant college campus and the Pool Innovation Centre.”

More information about the Tolvaddon and Bodmin schemes is available at cornwall.gov.uk/cornishliving.