HOUSING has long been an issue in Cornwall, in particular the need for affordable housing for local people living and working in the Duchy.

With Cornwall having low wage levels compared to the rest of the UK while the cost of housing continues to rise it is a desperate struggle for people to afford to put a roof over their heads.

The ratio of earnings to house prices in Cornwall is currently 9.3 – average house price being 9.3 times the average salary – according to the Office for National Statistics, compared to eight elsewhere in the country.

Whether it is people looking to buy a home or even just to rent their own home the cost of housing means that it is out of reach for many.

This has also been combined with the lack of good quality housing which has meant that sometimes people can find themselves paying over the odds for poor quality homes.

Because of this Cornwall Council has been trying to find a way of providing homes which are affordable but also of good quality for local people.

The council’s Housing Development Programme (HDP) is playing a major part in the authority’s attempts to build 1,000 new homes in Cornwall over a period of five years.

With an investment of up to £200million Cornwall Council is working with partners to provide new homes on sites where the need is greatest.

With a mix of rental and sale properties the homes which are rented are operated through the council’s own housing management company – Cornwall Housing – and are let on a minimum five-year tenancy, providing a security which many private rental properties do not provide.

The first two pilot sites for the HDP are nearing completion they are in Bodmin and Tolvaddon and have provided 113 new homes which are available as a mix of properties for rent and for sale.

At Tolvaddon 38 homes have been built – originally due to be completed in November the development is set to be finished in July.

And in Bodmin 75 new homes have been provided and is expected to be completed later this month.

The council has also been acquiring other sites to be used to provide housing under the HDP including in Newquay, Launceston, Redruth, Liskeard and Torpoint.

In Newquay 150 homes are to be built as part of a wider 455-home development at Trevithick Farm, Trevemper. Work is hoped to start on the new homes within two years.

And in Launceston the council is looking to build another 150 homes as part of a wider development on a site at Link Road. The site has planning permission for 275 homes in total along with a supermarket, a pub and a restaurant. It is hoped that work can start on the development next year.

The council is set to build homes on two sites at Maudlin Farm in Liskeard, with work set to start later this year and there are also plans for a second phase of the development in Bodmin which could start in the new year.

Andrew Mitchell, Cabinet member for housing, said at the time funding was approved for the Launceston development: “Cornwall needs more homes – both to rent and to buy – and the council is seizing the initiative to provide those homes. For example, in Launceston there are 142 applicants on the Cornwall Homechoice register. The proposed development in Launceston could eventually provide a large number of new homes which will go some way towards addressing that need.

“This is about providing good quality healthy homes that local people want to live in, with space, gardens, parking and which are well designed with low energy costs.”

In addition to those sites the council is also investing £159m in the development of sites at Langarth Farm on the outskirts of Truro. The council decided to make an intervention after development across a number of sites which already have planning permission stalled.

This will be part of a development which will create a “new town” with up to 8,000 residents.

It is led by housing and the council is looking to provide a wide range of housing including rental properties, affordable homes for sale, social housing and extra care homes for older people.

The wider development is also set to have major infrastructure including schools, medical facilities, employment spaces and an access road.

Bob Egerton, Cabinet member for the economy and planning, said at the time the council agreed the funding in January: “We need to ensure that developments are coordinated for the benefit of all. If the council did not intervene, we risk some sites being built by individual developers under existing planning permissions.

“We could end up with an uncoordinated series of estates without the appropriate infrastructure, or, instead, duplication of infrastructure, to the detriment of the whole community. This decision means the council will have much more influence and can ensure the needs of residents are front and centre.”

All the projects in the HDP are part of the council’s investment programme which could see more than £600m invested in Cornwall.

As well as housing the council is looking to provide the infrastructure which is needed to ensure that new developments create new communities.