Council scraps plans for youth homelessness pods

The pods would have provided shelter for young people leaving the care system

Cornwall Council has scrapped plans to build homeless pods for vulnerable young people in Truro.

Ten modular units were planned on Newquay Road for people aged 18 to 25-years-old who would otherwise be homeless or threatened with homelessness.

Councillor for the area Loic Rich said he was not consulted in the early stages of the plan and a "failure to properly engage" led to the £2m project being pulled.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "After careful review, it has been decided not to proceed with the Newquay Road scheme."

Counsellor Loic Rich is not happy with how the now homeless pods scheme has been handled

Concerns were raised about the proposed site near the Tregurra park-and-ride facility at a meeting of Truro City Council's planning committee in January, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

About 20 residents living on the Tregurra Park estate attended the meeting, with many more having aired their concerns on the council's online planning portal.

Rich said he was not consulted during the early stages of the plan despite being the member representing the Tregolls ward, where the pods would have been put.

"I've supported many plans to help young Cornish people get homes, the scrapping of that scheme was purely down to their failure to properly engage," he said.