Affordable home still empty after nine years

Veryan parish councillor Luke Dunstone has been opposed to the house being empty for so long

A parish councillor has said it is "beyond belief" a housing association home has been empty for nine years.

The house on the Park an Dreas estate in Veryan on the Roseland peninsula in Cornwall is a shared ownership property overseen by LiveWest.

Councillor Luke Dunstone expressed anger last October the property was empty but said it remained unoccupied a year later. He added: "It is beyond belief at a time of great housing crisis."

LiveWest director of sales and marketing Debra Saunders said the home had a buyer in place and hoped they would be settled "as soon as possible".

The Park an Dreas estate, which was built in the early 1990s on land owned by the now defunct Carrick District Council, is a mix of 17 shared ownership properties and 16 rental, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Dunstone said: "The estate proved a real lifeline by providing homes for a lot of local young families.

"House prices in St Mawes and Gerrans have always been really tricky for local people. It's not quite as exorbitant in Veryan and Gerrans, but it's always been a struggle for people who have grown up in this area to find an affordable property."

He added: "It is beyond belief at a time of great housing crisis that these properties have remained empty for so long."

Ms Saunders said: "We appreciate the frustration about the time it has taken to occupy this home.

"Following an unauthorised loft conversion by the previous resident, we identified complex issues with the home that required extensive remedial work.

"We completed the necessary work on the home last year to ensure it was safe and ready for the next resident to live in."

She said despite several people interested in the property a number of people had pulled out of buying it.

Ms Saunders said there was now a buyer in place.