“It’s time for developers to stick to their word and build the infrastructure and affordable housing they promise.”

When I was elected in July, I made tackling second homes one of my main three pledges for St Austell and Newquay. I also pledged to stand up to big, unscrupulous developers where necessary. Not only is this about rebalancing existing second homes, but also about addressing supply and demand through high-quality, new housing of the kind that actually serves the next generation of people in Cornwall trying to get their first home.

The Government has set the target of building 1.5-million homes in this Parliament, with the aim of alleviating the housing crisis we’ve been living in for decades. This is fantastic news for our communities, with house prices remaining at an unobtainable distance away from local average wages. However, as with any kind of development, we must ensure houses are built in the right places, for the right people, and with the right services adequately supported.

It has been alarming to see blatant attempts by developers to avoid their obligations.

As it stands, national legislation and Local Plan frameworks are not robust enough to prevent developer vandalism. We are seeing this now in Newquay, with an attempt being made at the old Narrowcliff Hotel redevelopment to remove all on-site affordable housing requirements. It’s time for developers to stick to their word and build the infrastructure and affordable housing they promise.

If Cornwall Council was to accept this request, it would be a dereliction of duty to the thousands of Cornish families waiting for much-needed affordable housing. However, it would also be a symptom of a wider issue: that local and national standards are not strong enough, and not good enough. Developers should not be able to pay their way out of their planning agreements and should be required to provide the infrastructure their new residents require within a timely manner. As your MP, I will support the Government to ensure planning enforcement is protected, and extended, to help support developers in keeping their word.

I am proud of the work the Government is doing to redress the housing market.

Increasing second home Stamp Duty from three per cent to five per cent, empowering councils to triple second home Council Tax bills, and an extra £500-million for the Affordable Housing Programme will all aid our fight in Cornwall. Reforms to Right to Buy will also support the creation of new Council housing, with all receipts to be retained by the local authority. It’s clear that more work needs to be done to address infrastructure – and that’s what I intend to do.

Noah Law

Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay