Mevagissey

Affordable housing timeline

Dec 03 'council were adamant that there should be no building of affordable or any other houses on Greenfield sites'

Dec 04  3 potential sites visited by 5 councillors, a planning officer and the rural housing enabler. Tregony Hill site recommended by Planning Officer as it was 'more accessible, main drainage and water were on site or near and there was an alternative entrance and exit road. In addition, it would be an extension of the development envelope not a site on its own and is well away from the conservation area'

Ocean Housing were asked to send out letters to land owners on Tregoney Hill, in order to purchase a suitable plot for development.  Ocean reported back to the Parish Council that there was nowhere suitable for development on Tregoney Hill. The Chairman of the Parish Council assured the council several times that the letters had been sent out. After speaking to all the land owners on Tregoney Hill it is clear that letters were not sent out, therefore either the Chairman or Ocean Housing or both were misleading the Council with false information.

Feb 05 Parish Survey

April 05 Public Meeting held on affordable housing. The council and Ocean were told of the problems with the lack of main sewage connection and water pressure on Vicarage Hill. At the following Parish Council meeting, it was noted that only 4 letters had been received requesting social or affordable housing after the meeting, and 2 letters objecting to a development on Vicarage Hill.

June 05 Cornish Guardian – Councillors 'have vowed to fight tooth and nail to keep the development envelope preventing building on the outskirts of the village'. It was stated that there was 'sufficient room to build affordable homes within the current boundaries'.

June 06 Parish Council take vote on higher and lower Vicarage Hill sites. Lower one chosen, vote 5 for and 4 against, 1 abstention. 6 councillors absent.

Aug 07 Clerk stated that the lack of main sewage connection were causing delays. He announced that building a pumping station or connecting to the mains sewer would cost 'to the tune of £150 to £200 thousand pounds which would prevent the affordable houses becoming affordable'. This cost is now estimated at £250, 000.

Nov 08 Percolation Test holes for soakaway dug.

April 09 Proposal by a developer to site a supermarket at the top of Vicarage Hill. It becomes clear that once the development envelope is broken by the affordable houses, developers will apply to build between the roundabout and the crossroads.

April 09 Application made to the Environment Agency to discharge 7 cubic metres (7000 litres) of partially treated effluent per day to soakaway on Vicarage Hill.

August 09 Application refused, due to the presence of ground water supplies within 50m down slope of the proposed soakaway.

Sept 09 Ocean invite comments from locals on site. Majority of comments negative. Public meeting to discuss appearance of homes.

October 09 Planning Application submitted.

Note - All quotes are direct from Parish Council minutes

29 Jan 2010   Work starts on site

5 March 2010  Site foreman is seen cutting back the eastern hedge. 29 March digger completely removes eastern hedge.
Note. Ecological Appraisal states no work on hedges to take place place between March and August due to birds nesting under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Letter sent to Ocean Housing asking if the Site Foreman was suitably qualified to work on hedge during this period. Reply received from Ocean 7 weeks later, which reading between the lines says, no he's not qualified, and stop causing a fuss its all in the past and time to move on ......



The real scandal of 'affordable' homes

WE ARE regularly told that shared ownership houses will provide the first step on the housing ladder for young people, and provide an opportunity for others in years to come.  Unfortunately, this is not the truth. Banks are refusing to lend on these properties, and a recent report by the Commission for Rural Communities stated that securing a mortgage for shared ownership schemes was “increasingly difficult, if not impossible”.
So what is happening to these properties ? In Mevagissey, four affordable homes failed to sell at a subsidised price of just £71,500, and are now being rented out. In Polruan, the shared ownership homes on a recently completed development of 15 affordable homes are “unsellable” as applicants have found it “impossible” to obtain mortgages.
In the last year, developers have rushed to jump on the “affordable” bandwagon, as they know that these houses will get planning permission on sites that would never be considered for standard housing. It would now appear highly likely that instead of providing starter homes, as promised, these developments will revert to being 100% social rented, what used to be known as council houses.
Planners and developers are aware of this likelihood, yet the public is being misled with false promises, and more and more of our beautiful countryside is being lost for the wrong reasons.
B. Honeyman, Mevagissey