Holiday park for emergency housing still empty

Sandbank is set to house 20 families once work is complete

A holiday park which was bought by Cornwall Council as emergency accommodation for homeless families affected by the housing crisis is still empty 20 months later.

The council purchased Sandbank Holidays, near Hayle, in January 2022 as part of a £15m property package to provide temporary housing, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

There was dismay in May last year when it was revealed the site at Upton Towans, which includes 16 apartments and three bungalows, was still empty.

The council said works at the property had taken longer than expected due to work including asbestos removal and the property would be finished in the "coming weeks".

A local resident said: “They can’t just spend millions of pounds on buying the holiday park for emergency accommodation and then just leave it empty for months. I can’t believe how long they’ve stayed empty for during a housing crisis.”

Sandbank was used by the council as emergency accommodation during the early months of the Covid pandemic, as part of the Government’s Everyone In call.

Following the purchase of the site, a spokesperson for the council said it was being refurbished and would be used as "dedicated" temporary accommodation once complete.

A resident, who did not want to give their name, said: “There is no sign of it being ready in the next few weeks. What gets me is that the previous owners had a planning application to turn it into residential use refused by the council in 2020.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: “The purchase and refurbishment of the holiday park is intended to provide good quality temporary accommodation for 20 families.

"The holiday park required a significant amount of work to bring it up to a good standard and meet the need of future residents, including the removal of asbestos."

They added that the work was in the process of being completed and expected to welcome the first residents to the properties in the coming weeks.