Homes for Cornwall conference looks at housing crisis

Hundreds attended the conference at the Hall for Cornwall

Hundreds of people have gathered for a conference on Cornwall's housing crisis.

Senior councillors, planners and community leaders attended the event, organised by a new movement - Homes for Cornwall.

Hotelier Emma Stratton set it up after hearing her staff's struggles to find affordable homes.

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said it was addressing the shortage but it would require time and "compromise".

Emma Stratton organised the conference as part of a "growing movement" to tackle the housing issue

Emma Stratton, who owns the Bedruthan and Scarlet hotels on the north coast, said she was driven to create the new campaign as staff were unable to find homes.

She said the problem was hampering the post-Covid recovery of businesses in the county; damaging individuals, families and communities.

David Harper, from Scotland, took up the role of deputy head of operations at the hotels at the start of April, but said he still could not find a home for his family to move down with him.

"It's been quite stressful. It does play on your mind when you're looking through Rightmove everyday and there's just nothing else coming up, or the things that are coming up are maybe like an hour-and-a-half away," he said.

David Harper got a job in Cornwall six weeks ago but his family are still in Scotland

Kirsty Grove, who works in the hotels' reservations office, said she and her partner were living in an annex next to his parents' home while they searched for a home of their own.

She said: "Everything is either sold or in a very high price bracket.

"If we'd met a little bit earlier and been in a relationship a couple of years earlier than we were, we would have been able to have a really beautiful first home, so it's really hard."

Cornwall Council said there was a need to build more affordable housing

Ms Stratton said: "What our hope is, as a charitable organisation, is to support communities to get the housing that they need for this generation and for future generations."

The conference involved debate and discussion to try to find solutions to the lack of housing.

Olly Monk, portfolio holder for housing at Cornwall Council, said: "The solution to the housing crisis in general in Cornwall is providing much more properties that local people can afford.

"I think there are solutions out there but it requires compromise from everybody, really - of the land being available, to the price which people develop the land at in the first place," he said.