Matthew Taylor visits St Mawes

Matthew Taylor MP visited the affordable housing scheme at Larkfield Rise, St Mawes The scheme with a mix of homes for rent and sale is the latest rural development helping local people access good affordable homes. Such schemes enable them to continue living in the community they were brought up in.

Penwith Housing Association manages the rented homes and our chair, Gail Hunt says “we all know how difficult it is for local people to find a decent home. We have one of the highest-price, lowest-wage economies in the country, creating enormous difficulties in the housing market. This type of mixed development brought about through our partnership with the district council and Devon & Cornwall Housing Association goes some way to help solving the problem. The government has recognised the unique characteristics of the area by promising extra funding to help tackle the problem.”

Matthew Taylor said "These are exactly the kind of affordable homes for local people that rural communities need so badly. It is good to see them here in St Mawes, one of the most unaffordable villages in the UK. As a special adviser to the Government on this, I want to learn from the experience here and find ways to help more rural communities gain affordable homes like these."

Devon & Cornwall Housing group is providing over 300 new homes in Cornwall through the West Cornwall Partnership. The partnership includes Rok and architects Trewin Design.