Cornwall Council owned holiday park ready for families in need

The council said the site required "significant work" to make it suitable as temporary housing for families

A holiday park bought by a council to help tackle its housing shortage is ready to take families, 20 months after the purchase.

Cornwall Council paid £2.75m for Sandbanks Holidays in Hayle in January 2022, to reduce its reliance on hotels and B&Bs for emergency accommodation.

The council said the purchase would pay for itself and provide temporary homes for up to 20 families in need.

It said the site had needed "significant work" to make it suitable.

The park includes 19 units and a Victorian House, which may not be converted because of cost.

The £2.75m purchase, verified by HM Land Registry figures, is part of a £15m temporary housing package.

The council said the site required "a significant amount of working, including the removal of asbestos to bring the accommodation up to a good standard".

Council housing portfolio holder Olly Monk said the properties had to pass a financial test to make sure they paid for themselves over time.

He said: "We're paying £8m to £10m on housing people in temporary emergency accommodation.

"What you'll find with this is, because the council owns it, we will get the housing benefit for it and start to reduce that bill."

The park is due to provide temporary homes for nearly 20 families, Cornwall Council says

The council had said in August residents would be moving in within the "coming weeks".

It has now said it was "identifying clients to move into the properties with a view to moving people in over the next fortnight".

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Cornwall Council said it had provided additional funds for some road improvements amid concerns raised by nearby residents.

Tina Jackson said: "There's no way for the children to get to and from school, there's no pavement and I've seen some near misses on that road."

The council said the transient nature of the way the holiday park is to be used means it complies with planning rules for a site that has planning permission for holiday use only.

It said people could be temporarily housed there without fear of eviction until they were found more permanent homes.