Royal Cornwall Hospital seeks to build staff accommodation

The staff accommodation would be on the site of the hospital at Treliske near Truro

Cornwall's main hospital trust is planning to build new accommodation for staff struggling to find somewhere affordable to live.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has submitted a pre-application to Cornwall Council for plans near Truro.

The proposals are for one and two-bed self-contained units on land that is currently a car park beside the pharmacy technology building.

Options including three and four-storey blocks have been presented.

Finding accommodation 'difficult'

The pre-application for the site at Treliske is ahead of any formal planning application to the council and gives planning officers the chance to give their views on the potential development.

Documents submitted indicate the residential accommodation would be for use by hospital staff "typically for periods of occupation of between six and twelve months".

They state that the development would act as a buffer between the hospital campus and the Langarth Garden Village development.

The first of two options submitted shows several buildings of three-storey accommodation which would have 66 units.

The second option indicates several blocks with up to four storeys and 104 units of accommodation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Health and hospital bosses have previously revealed the cost of housing in Cornwall is having an impact on the ability to recruit and retain staff.

In November, the separate Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was granted planning permission to build six units in Redruth which would be used by staff.

Roberta Fuller, head of hospital reconfiguration at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, wrote in support of the proposals.

In her letter, she stated: "The housing problem is not only one of finding affordable housing for students and younger members of the workforce; many of our skilled and trained medical and nursing staff are in mid-life with children, pets, and extended families to consider.

"Finding affordable long-term family accommodation has become even more difficult since the Covid lockdown, with the subsequent rise of house prices in Cornwall."