A motion is set to go to Cornwall Council today (Tuesday) in response to a public protest against the “over development of Cornwall”.

In July dozens of people gathered outside County Hall in Truro to campaign against what they believe to be excessive development across the county.

They were calling on councillors to do more to stop excessive development and encourage more homes which are truly affordable for local people.

In response to the protest two Liberal Democrat councillors have tabled a motion to tomorrow’s meeting of the full council with an aim of tackling the problems.

Lib Dem group leader Malcolm Brown and Jackie Bull, chair of the central sub-area planning committee, said they were “very struck” by the protests and the sincerity of the people making them.

They have put forward five actions that they believe the government and Cornwall Council could make to help alleviate the problems.

The motion calls for:

Changes to the way the Government calculates the future number of houses which should be built in Cornwall and which they then impose on us

New Government regulations to stop the big housebuilders hoarding land and then demanding even more planning permissions are given

More money from past sales of council houses to be given to Cornwall Council so that they can build new ones

Devolution of more planning powers from Whitehall to Cornwall Council so that we have more influence over the basis on which decisions are made locally

A new legal definition of affordable housing based on local incomes not local house prices. That is the only way in which local people in need will have a chance of getting into the Cornish housing market, whether buying or renting.

Cllr Bull said: “Especially at the end of another busy summer I understand why people living in Cornwall feel that the Duchy is just too busy and hectic now and that more houses are being put up than we cope with.”

Cllr Brown added: “For too long the way the housing market works in Cornwall has been unfair in how it favours wealthier people moving here from outside. We think local people are fair minded and they will accept new housebuilding if it is of a type and at a price that helps them. If Government does its bit by changing the rules, we can see this happens.”

Both councillors said they hoped that Cornwall Council would support their ideas and would like to see the council campaign to make the changes happen. They have also invited other parts of the country which have similar problems to get involved.

Cornwall Council will meet today to discuss the motion.