26.05.11: Plans for 11 low-rent homes in Tregony went on show recently with the chance for residents to have their say on the scheme. The existing estate at The Glebe – on the edge of the village, near Cuby Church and the Roseland College – will be extended by 15 houses in all, with four going for sale on the open market.
There has been a call for affordable housing in the area for a long time, but some of the homes will have to be open market to help fund the development. Most people who attended the open day seemed generally positive about the development, according to Lucie Sominka from Devon and Cornwall Housing, who are working on the scheme in partnership with Cornwall Council.
She told Roseland Online, “There were lots of positive comments and people generally seemed OK about the scheme. People filled out feedback forms on the day and we are still going through them to find out the detailed comments.”
One of the issues raised during the viewing day at Tregony Village Hall was that four properties would be bought as second homes – especially at they’d give access to the Roseland Peninsula’s beaches for a relatively low price. The houses are expected to be £185,000 for a two-bedroom and £225,000 for a three bedroom. Rents will range from £90 a week for a one-bedroom flat to £150 a week for a three-bedroom house.
While the holiday home fear was acknowledged, it is the price the experts have decided on and seems unlikely to change. Of course, the sale price of those four properties has supplied the funds for building the 11 affordable homes. However, in the paper given out to residents who visited the exhibition, there is a chance that a bid for a grant to the Homes and Communities Agency may fail. If that happened then more of the homes would have to be sold on the open market, but Lucie Sominka couldn’t say exactly how many.
“This is a whole new ball game for us,” she said. “There are now more bids for grants than there is funding and where there used to be money for districts it’s a general free-for-all, so we don’t know what the outcome will be. In the past the subsidy could have been as much as £70,000 on a house that was being offered for low rent. Now it may be as low as £20,000.”
At the viewing, people were shown a site plan, examples of comparable properties in other towns and had the chance to talk to representatives of Cornwall Council and Devon and Cornwall Housing.
To have a chance of qualifying for the housing list, families will need to show a housing need and a connection to the Cuby or Tregony parishes. Applicants will need to meet one or more of the following criteria:
1. Be permanently resident in the parish continuously for at least three years immediately before formal bidding opens.
2. Have formerly been a permanently resident in the parish for five continuous years.
3. Have a permanent place of work (16 hours or more a week – not seasonal) in the parish for at least three continuous years immediately before the formal bidding opens.
4. Have close family ties (normally parental, brother, sister or child) who is resident, or has been a resident for five continuous years, and then provide independent evidence of the need for family support.
These rental houses will no longer be offered on the old “assured tenancy” agreement, where the first tenant was guaranteed a home for life. The arrangements will be considerably shorter, possibly starting at two years. If too few families from Tregony and Cuby parishes qualify then adjoining parishes come into play: Veryan, Ruanlanihorne, St Michael Penkevil, Probus, Grampound with Creed and St Michael Caerhays.
Devon and Cornwall Housing are still looking for views on the plans and you can voice your opinion until Friday, June 24th, to Devon & Cornwall Housing, Kenwyn Street, Truro TR1 3BA or email lucie.sominka@dchgroup.com.
If you want to be considered for one of the rented homes you will need to join the council’s housing register, Cornwall Homechoice, either online at www.cornwallhomechoice.org.uk or by phoning the authority’s customer services team on 0300 1234 100. You can also get a form from any One Stop Shop.