FAQs

Despite the success of existing approaches to tackling the crisis, which include prevention services, high street outreach, emergency and longer-term accommodation-based provision etc, there remains an acute and urgent need for temporary accommodation in main towns in Cornwall. There are over 700 households either living in temporary or emergency accommodation in the county. This includes many in unsatisfactory and unsustainable emergency provision such as B&Bs and hotels.

Due to the extraordinary increase in demand, the Council is seeking to develop a range of new temporary accommodation facilities throughout Cornwall. These are intended to help get families and individuals out of emergency, unsuitable (and extremely expensive) non-commissioned accommodation such as B&Bs or hotels. The Commercial Road scheme is one such scheme, which will provide ‘move on’ housing for people to stay in for the short to medium term as part of a journey towards settled, permanent, housing. 

During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cornwall Council successfully delivered a number of ‘Stage 1’ schemes in key locations. These schemes were specifically for high support clients, that had largely been rough sleeping immediately prior to the pandemic, often with complex needs and support requirements. 

Examples of this include the emergency cabin-style ‘Bunkabin’ sites implemented in Truro, Penzance and Camborne (three of which sites are still operational).  This also included achieving successful planning approval and rebuilding a purpose designed Somewhere-Safe-to-Stay hub (“hostel”) in the centre of Truro, which will complete in late 2022.  

Further ‘Stage 1’ accommodation is planned for a key site in the wider Penzance area, to assist high support clients in the West of the Cornwall.  Delivering these schemes has been incredibly valuable to those that have used them; there are numerous examples of where clients have used a short stay in these sites to turn their lives around, and make real progress in returning back to settled, independent lives.  

Work to provide additional ‘Stage 1’ accommodation continues in key locations. However, the momentum this has created has now identified the need for housing for people with low or no support needs, which is for clients that are either already a substantial way through their journey back to settled housing and can take the next step, or clients that don’t need support at all, but find themselves homeless with no means to secure accommodation on their own.  

The Council has already commissioned two such sites to be built: the first is a landmark scheme at the former Cowlins Mill (External link) in Pool for 10 modular homes on a brownfield site; the second is on part of the Old County Hall(External link) campus in Truro for 15 modular homes.  

A further planning application has been submitted for a site at Tregunnel Hill in Newquay (18 modular homes), and a range of additional sites are being worked up on other Council-owned land elsewhere in Cornwall.  

The scheme is being led by Cornwall Council’s Housing Delivery Team in partnership with CORMAC who will be commissioned to undertake the civil engineering element and ground works for the scheme. The site will be managed by a registered housing provider on completion ie. Cornwall Housing Ltd.

A full planning application was submitted to the Local Planning Authority earlier this year. This was formally validated in March 2022. 

The planning application is being considered in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework, the Cornwall Local Plan and relevant sections of the Penryn Neighbourhood Plan.

The planning officer has been consulting with key stakeholders on the material planning aspects of the scheme, which includes Penryn Town Council. The general public have also been able to comment through our online planning portal. This can be accessed via this link (External link) quoting the planning reference number PA22/02627, or the site address and post code.

The scheme will be presented to a meeting of the Central Sub-Area Planning Committee on 24 October, with a decision on the application currently expected by November 2022. 

This scheme is being developed in response to significant temporary accommodation need in Penryn. Research identified a number of Cornwall Council owned sites and others that were suggested to us. The Commercial Road car park site was selected following a thorough evaluation of all the sites available.

Notably, the local Neighbourhood Development Plan supports development that improves connectivity in Penryn and minimises the need for car use and will prioritise sustainable transport (walking, cycling, public transport). This site is in a sustainable, well-connected location within the Town where one is not reliant upon a private car. 

The applicant considers the partial use of this site to provide temporary accommodation for eligible households is a socially positive use of the site, that will help relieve some of the local housing stress and provide good quality, safe and affordable accommodation for those in the community that need it.

Cornwall Council has acquired a number of purpose-designed ‘SoloHaus’ modular homes, specifically for use as short-to-medium term accommodation. They are not converted shipping containers, but have been designed, engineered and purpose built in a factory within the UK, to meet the highest standards of construction and energy efficiency.  

They are constructed from Light Gauge Steel Frame and, as a result of their enhanced durability, they are highly sustainable, safe and can easily be transported by road. This means that they can either be placed on a site permanently or moved from location to location over time.

The SoloHaus product has been developed by the Hill Group, a large construction firm in the East of England. It was purpose-designed specifically to provide excellent quality accommodation for people that are, or have been, homeless and need assistance on their journey back to settled housing.

The homes are practical, cost effective to heat and power, and come complete with all the fixtures and fittings someone would need to live in the property.  The homes are of a contemporary, attractive design, that benefit from low carbon space and water heating provided by communal air source heat pumps.   They also include Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems which further assists with keeping running costs to a minimum

 The homes include:

• Fully fitted single bedroom with all furniture and bedding;
• Fully fitted shower room, with sink, toilet and storage;
• Kitchen with cooking facilities, sink, fridge, washing machine and utensils/kitchen equipment;
• Living space with dining table and chairs, sofa, and TV stand/shelves etc.;
• Central heating; and
• A range of soft furnishings / utility products.

Solohaus units are Building Regulations compliant with very high levels of fire safety. They also benefit from a BOPAS warranty, which is the industry standard construction warranty for modular housing

 You can find out more about the SoloHaus product, including seeing some of the Hill Group’s other recently completed schemes here 

        All SoloHaus image copyright retained by The Hill Group

The homes will be located in the north-east corner of the site, adjacent to the overgrown section of rough land outlined in blue on the plan below.

The scheme will be funded from a mixture of central Government grant and funding from Cornwall Council’s housing-related budgets, which are specifically set aside for tackling the homeless crisis.

We are providing these homes for people in Cornwall that need our help. 

There is a huge demand for temporary accommodation at present. Whilst the Council and other partners have made considerable interventions already, the need continues to increase, and there is a concern that the situation could get worse still given the current and projected nationwide cost of living increases.

It is important to remember that people can find themselves homeless and in need of housing assistance from the Council, for many and varied reasons.  

 Amongst others, this might include:

• family or relationship breakdowns
• people fleeing domestic violence
• eviction from a privately rented home (including ‘no fault’ evictions)
• loss of income/job
• bereavement
• significant changes to mental or physical health, or 
• struggling to cope with life outside the armed forces.   

 This can lead to people having no option (or feeling as though they have no option) but to sleep rough, sleeping in their cars, or making temporary arrangements to ‘sofa surf’. None of these are socially or morally acceptable and Cornwall Council has committed to do all it can to help people into a settled lifestyle.

Every placement into temporary accommodation is evaluated, with individual risk assessments. 

The Commercial Road scheme will be a ‘Stage 2’ site for individuals that are assessed as having low or no support needs.   

Clients with complex needs that require high or intense support, or who are otherwise considered unsuitable due to the risk they pose to themselves, or others, will not be eligible to move-on to this scheme. Other provision is available (and is being brought on stream) for clients who fall into this category.

Residents of the proposed Commercial Road scheme would occupy under what’s called a ‘non-secure’ (nightly) tenancy.  This means that occupants will not have security of tenure, and should it become necessary, the Council can seek an eviction notice and move an individual to another location, or in some circumstances, discharge its homeless duty.

This also means that should an occupant’s personal circumstances deteriorate, and they become ineligible to remain at this site (for example, because their support needs increase), they can be assisted into more suitable accommodation that provides the appropriate level of support for that individual.  

The intention behind this type of move-on accommodation is to provide a period of stability before someone moves into their permanent home. As such, individuals may live on the site for up to 2 years at a time. Low or no support schemes like this do not typically have a high turnover of clients, unlike high support schemes where people receive very intense support over a short period. 

Some clients that move into this site may already have paid or voluntary employment. It is not uncommon for people that form this cohort of clients to be homeless simply because they have lost their ‘tied accommodation’ (a bedroom in a hotel within the tourism industry for example), or working elsewhere in the tourism sector, but simply being unable to afford to rent anything privately in the area. Other clients will use this period of stability to seek employment or other training in the local area.

Emergency and supported housing providers are notified when vacancies arise and made aware of the criteria tenants must meet for the accommodation concerned. These agencies select prospective tenants according to priority, using a ‘risk matrix’ to determine whether the proposed tenants meet the criteria outlined. Referral forms are then submitted to our Rough Sleeper Service for those selected, along with a scored risk matrix.

When assessing referrals, top priority is given to those already in temporary accommodation for instance emergency, crisis or hospital discharge. Second priority is given to those in supported housing with a history of rough sleeping and third priority is given to those sofa surfing or at risk of rough sleeping. Only clients identified as having low or no support needs will be eligible to live on this site.

A multiagency panel meet to consider the referrals made by the housing providers. When deciding who will be allocated a place, they consider factors such as priority level; suitability of location or site; the individual’s support needs, their risk score and affordability ie. whether they can manage the rent and service charges

See the process flow diagram below which maps out the above described steps. 

We are committed to maintaining the same tenant profile, that is - clients with low/no support needs, for the life of this scheme.

Clients will not live permanently in these homes. Instead they will live here for up to 2 years – or until they are ready to move into permanent, settled housing. The time frame will vary for each individual. Some residents will be ready within a matter of weeks or months while others will take longer. Typically, the length of the non-secure tenancy will be 18-24 months, however, in all cases, it will be for no more than 3 years in the first instance.

The support package will vary between individuals and will be decided in consultation with the prospective tenant at the time of offer. At Commercial Road the support provider will be appointed by us to provide low level visiting support staff.

Additional assistance will be available from a range of agencies, as necessary. These may include Cornwall Housing, specialist support agencies, employment organisations, health care providers - or other charities.  Every client will have a plan that identifies the specific areas they may need support with, for example seeking education placements, accessing health care or benefits applications.

The site will be managed by a specialist housing management provider ie. Cornwall Housing Ltd.

The management provider will also be responsible for repairs and maintenance of the accommodation and grounds to ensure the site remains an attractive and comfortable space for residents to live.

The housing management provider will provide neighbours with a single point of contact for the Commercial Road housing management support team should any issues arise during working hours, together with an out of hours contact in the event of an unexpected incident.

Tenants will be risk assessed as part of the allocations process to ensure only those assessed as low risk are allocated a place at the Commercial Road scheme. Residents are also bound by strict tenancy conditions regarding anti-social behaviour, such as inflicting excessive noise, annoyance, distress or harassment on others either inside or outside the development. 

This accommodation is a ‘stepping stone’ towards a permanent home and tenants understand the value of the opportunity being offered to them, along with the consequences of failing to maintain a tenancy.

If a resident’s level of need increased during the tenancy, the management provider will look to transfer the client out of the Commercial Road scheme to a setting which accommodates higher support needs.

The site will have CCTV as per a recommendation from local police. The site will not have a physical 24/7 security presence as this is a low support scheme where clients will have been assessed and deemed suitable for independent living

Safety has been an important consideration when designing the scheme and advice has been sought from Devon and Cornwall Police in this regard. 

The site has limited access only on the western boundary and CCTV will be in place for the reassurance and safety of the community, both inside and outside the development.

Local residents will be offered a single point of contact for the scheme, both inside and outside working hours.

Additionally, the robust tenant selection process described in this document should help to provide reassurance regarding safety concerns. Scheme residents will be risk assessed and only those who are categorised as low risk will be offered a place in the Commercial Road scheme. 

Scheme residents will receive direct support at the start of their tenancy with tasks such as setting up utilities, claiming benefits and settling into their new community. This ensures the best transitional experience during which potential anxieties are addressed and resolved.

The car park has a signed capacity of 82 parking spaces. This proposal will result in the displacement of 45 spaces with 37 parking places remaining. 

A detailed parking beat survey was undertaken by Advance Consulting Engineers, an independent Highways & Transport Consultancy, whose methodology was requested and approved by CC's highways officer. Surveys were undertaken over a 6-day period leading up to 24 July 2022, between 07:00 – 21:00 hrs daily, to provide a baseline assessment of parking activity. Data was collected via a number of high mast cameras to allow the number of vehicles parked at the start of each 15-minute period to be counted. 

The highest occupancy reading of 37 occurred on 13 July at 20:24. For the majority of the survey days the highest occupancy recorded was 31, therefore, the report concludes this development would not have a severe impact on the existing car parking situation within Penryn.

The planning consultation process began in March 2022. 

Comments on the planning application can still be made quoting planning application ref: PA22/02627 and using the following link to our online planning portal.