THE mayor of a Cornish town is angry that a plan for 72 extra care apartments will not be 100 per cent affordable for locals after it was suggested at the pre-application stage that all units of accommodation would be.

Cornwall Council is proposing to build the apartments on the former John Daniel Centre in Roscadghill Road, Heamoor, Penzance, a site owned by the council itself.

Mayor of Penzance Stephen Reynolds says that the council gave an online presentation to local stakeholders in March 2024 when slides stated the scheme would be part of a “30-year partnership agreement with Mears Ltd to provide affordable extra care for the people of Cornwall”. The slides also said that Cornwall Council would have “100 per cent nomination rights” to the units.

He said: “On that basis, myself and other councillors were very supportive. Extra care is an interesting concept: enabling older people with health vulnerabilities to live independently but with access to 24/7 support. It also has the potential to free up housing stock by enabling a move to supported accommodation for older people who are struggling to cope in their current homes.

“Best of all, because the units were intended to be 100 per cent affordable and 100 per cent for locals, they would help solve our local housing crisis. And when the pre-app was submitted in September 2024, that too was for 100 per cent affordable.”

An outline planning application was submitted last month, with the expectation that the proposal now includes 30 per cent affordable provision, meaning 50 of the proposed 72 units could be sold on the open market with no guarantee they will be bought by people in Cornwall.

Cllr Reynolds said “There is no trace of the pre-app on the Cornwall Council planning register, but the planning statement supporting the live application makes it clear – ‘It was proposed at the pre-application stage that all units of accommodation would be affordable’.”

The mayor added: “Frankly that is jaw-dropping. In less than six months, this scheme has morphed from a positive response to the housing crisis and local healthcare needs to a blatantly commercial development project like any other – despite the applicant being Cornwall Council and the site being owned by the taxpayer.”

The application was discussed at Penzance Town Council’s planning committee last month with representatives from Cornwall Council’s consultants in attendance.

Cllr Reynolds said the explanation given for the reduction in affordable provision was “viability issues with it being a brownfield site as well as the anticipated end values for the units”.

After discussion, the committee voted unanimously to support the proposal in principle, but also that “100 per cent of any dwellings provided should be reserved for residents with a local connection”.

Cllr Reynolds added: “The feeling among members was that turning this once-laudable proposal for a publicly-owned site into an open-market-led commercial development is a total travesty.

“Local residents have already expressed serious concerns to me not only about the problems their elderly relatives may face trying to secure a much-needed supported flat close to friends and family, but also about the impact on our hard-pressed GP and NHS facilities if units on the site are taken by people from outside the local area with significant healthcare needs.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council responded to the mayor’s concerns said: “Developing extra care housing is a top priority for Cornwall Council, which relies on attracting developers into Cornwall to develop the schemes. In this case, while at the outline planning permission stage, we have submitted what we believe to be a fully compliant scheme that will be considered through the planning approval process.

“We know that developers would find creating 100 per cent affordable schemes challenging due to the high costs involved in having reinforced ceilings to allow for ceiling track hoists to be fitted, making sure the flats are large enough to allow for wheelchair access, and other sorts of equipment.

“Many extra care schemes in other parts of the country are mixed tenure and this allows developers to make their money back through private tenants, as well as keeping other funding avenues open, such as grants that can be used to increase the number of affordable homes within the scheme.

“Our Supported and Specialist Housing Strategy makes clear the challenges facing Cornwall’s ageing population and we are confident that this scheme will support the needs of our communities. We anticipate that people using this service will have care and support needs and will be referred into the scheme by social services. ”

When pressed on why the application changed from mentioning 100 per cent affordability in the early planning stage, the council spokesperson added: “The pre-planning engagement phase is where stakeholders meet and are encouraged to put forward their own ideas about what they’d like from a scheme. This is common and adaptations are made in order to give the full application the best chance of success.”