Truro City Council’s planning committee has voted unanimously to oppose an application to place ten homeless pods for vulnerable young people near Tregurra Park and Ride.

The council’s planning committee met last night (Thursday, January 30) at Truro Community Library. The matter will now go before Cornwall Council for a decision.

Around 20 residents living on the Duchy of Cornwall’s Tregurra Park estate attended the meeting, with many more having aired their concerns on the council’s online planning portal about having the pods installed less than 50m from their homes.

Both residents and local councillors complained that they had been neither consulted nor informed about the planning application by Cornwall Council, and had found out about it by other means, including the press.

Cornwall Council wants to site ten modular units on council-owned land adjacent to the entrance of Tregurra Park and Ride on the A39 and close to Waitrose. These would be for people aged 18 to 25 who would otherwise be homeless or threatened with homelessness. Many of them would be transferring from children’s service having left the care system.

Although there are similar modular unit schemes across Cornwall, if approved this would be the first such development for young people in Cornwall, as there is a recognised gap for such provision for the 18 to 25 age group.

Councillors heard how there are currently 118 young people in this age group in homeless and temporary accommodation, demonstrating significant need. They were also told that two other sites had been looked at in Truro but had been discounted as unviable.

Cornwall Council strategic housing officer Nicky Mannell told the meeting: “The proposed scheme aligns with the ethos of the existing Duchy development providing local need housing. Care has been taken to reduce any potential impact on surrounding properties. The site boundaries will be enhanced by new and more extensive planting and hedgerows to replace the current chain link fence.

Although there is no parking planned for the site, she told councillors the neighbouring park and ride had been deemed satisfactory for residents’ transport needs. Highways did not oppose the scheme, noting the site is near public transport options along the A39 into Truro.

City mayor Cllr Carol Swain was concerned about where people living on or visiting the site would park in the evenings and on Sundays when the park and ride is closed.

Former mayor Cllr Steven Webb asked what the management criteria would be and if there would be a curfew for residents. Ms Mannell replied: “We intend it to be low needs – it’s for those people who need some extra support to manage their home and to stop them becoming homeless in the future. The support will be based on site in an office facility for training, education and supporting those individuals into their own accommodation in the future.”

Residents would have to commit to working with a support provider and would be treated like any other council tenant if there were anti-social behaviour concerns or any other issues. Ms Mannell said the properties would be managed by Cornwall Housing and a support provider will be commissioned to be on site seven days a week, but not for 24 hours a day as the level of need would not require that.

Devon & Cornwall Police liaison officer Martin Mumford had previously commented online that the police would require further details about out-of-hours support at the site. “Unfortunately, with some young people it is those they associate with that can present the real issues,” he said. “Some of these associates may seek to take advantage of potentially vulnerable young people, so how this will be managed, especially out of hours, must also be fully considered within any management plans.”

Travis Mason spoke at the planning meeting on behalf of concerned residents. The 101 homes on the Tregurra Park estate were built as part of a Duchy of Cornwall partnership project with Cornwall Council, Waitrose, the Great Cornish Food Store and developer Zero C on Duchy-owned land.

“This is completely the wrong place for 18- to 25-year-olds, as there’s a complete lack of facilities for young people other than Waitrose and a fish and chip shop,” she said.

“All the facilities they’re likely to want are a 25-minute walk away in Truro and there is very little public transport after 7pm. The site is surrounded on three sides by very busy roads.

“Police liaison share our concerns about staff support for the occupants. The adjacent housing estate, which includes social housing, has elderly residents and families who are very concerned about the potential for litter, drug paraphernalia and noise. As it is a private estate, it will be left to us to manage the fall-out and pay for any clean-up.”

Ms Mason added: “Cornwall Council is clearly taking a shortcut to secure time-limited government funds by using a small plot of land it already owns regardless of its unsuitability. There has also been a total disregard of the dangers of housing young vulnerable adults in this space and the significant impact on the 100 houses close by.”

Asked if residents had been consulted about the plans, Ms Mason told councillors they had found out about it through the press.

Like many of those present, Loic Rich, the Cornwall councillor for the area, highlighted the need for such accommodation in Truro, but expressed concern about this particular project. “There’s a housing crisis in Cornwall and I know what it’s like to live in Truro, be in a low-paid job and live in a really dodgy place,” he said. “There are young people out there living that kind of life and need help and support, so I would probably be one of the last people to be against something like this.”

But he added: “I didn’t know about this until recently. The whole scheme had been worked up without my knowledge. I had an email from a private consultant basically telling me about it and asking if I could get him planning permission.

“I was really shocked on behalf of the community I represent, because they deserve to have their councillor fully informed of things that Cornwall Council are doing, especially quite controversial schemes.”

Cllr Rich added: “This should not be controversial – there are some really good things about this. The rent will be social rent so if these young people get a job, they’ll be able to afford to stay. Cornwall Council can run these schemes really well and change people’s lives.”

However, he also mentioned another housing scheme which he said wasn’t run well and the anti-social behaviour associated with it was among some of the worst he’d ever heard of, affecting elderly people in a quiet area.

He said he couldn’t support something he hadn’t been notified about. “I don’t think, just because the money has to be spent by a certain date, they need to rush this through. I think they should go right back to the beginning and find a suitable site because I don’t think it’s the right location.

“Based on my experience of dealing with homeless schemes in Truro and observations around Cornwall, I can’t say I’ve got enough confidence that the council would run this properly.”

Cllr Rob Nolan, who has two homeless pod schemes in his Truro division, said they were very well managed, “but that’s not to say they are not without their problems”. He said the circular design of the units means residents lack privacy, are living on top of each other and “that can lead to tensions and problems’.

He agreed that a lack of consultation concerning the Tregurra proposal was a big issue. “You have to take the community with you and I think we’ve singularly failed to do that here because people are concerned and worried.”

Cllr Webb asked where the right place would be for such a scheme. “Would I like this right at the back of my house? I think my heart would say yes, it’s a great scheme and a great idea, but my head would fear parts of this.”

He suggested the plan should be opposed by the city council due to a lack of public consultation. Cllr Swain was also against it but due to over-development and a lack of suitable parking. The planning committee voted unanimously to oppose the application.

At the end of the meeting, Cllr Sam Rabey said: “I think the language being used about this site needs to be limited. We’re just assuming these young people are going to drink and take drugs. We don’t know which young people are going to go in there. We need to be very careful what people say.”