Members of a renters union and anti-poverty group in Falmouth has called on the town council to introduce planning regulations to try and tackle the rising housing crisis in Cornwall.

At a parish meeting hosted by Falmouth Town Council last night, three members of ACORN Falmouth & Penryn, secretary Dan Newcombe, chair Elly Henkes and communications officer Oscar Peters, called on councillors to join their campaign and sign their petition.

They said over the last few decades renting and home ownership has become increasingly unsustainable in Cornwall with high demand for second homes and holiday lets have pricing locals out of their communities and decimating towns and villages.

They want Falmouth Town Council and Cornwall Council to introduce a special order of planning permission to restrict and regulate the ownership and construction of second homes and holiday lets.

 

Members of Acorn outside the council offices last night.

Members of Acorn outside the council offices last night.

 

Making an impassioned plea at the meeting Oscar Peters said despite being born and bred in Falmouth, the housing market was completely inaccessible for people like him.

"As everyone here is aware, there is a dire housing crisis in Cornwall. Property prices have skyrocketed for renting and purchasing while wages have remained the same. With 661% more short-term holiday listings as there were five years ago, the market has become all but completely inaccessible for most people.

READ NEXT:

Meet our new reporter Kate - following in her well known dad's footsteps

"As a local to Falmouth, born-and-bred, I have seen our community change a lot throughout my life. I have seen it thrive, becoming an internationally renowned hub for culture, arts, and music. This has brought a lot of investment and interest into my hometown but it has also, because of the tourism these sectors bring, brought a lot of pressure on the housing market.

"I have seen my school friends, some with children, be made homeless or forced to leave their home and move up-country to find a stable living. This is unacceptable and change needs to happen. We must be welcoming to positive change, but it cannot be at the expense of the community of hard-working, normal people who already live here."

 

Members of Acorn outside the council offices last night.

Members of Acorn outside the council offices last night.

 

He said the union, had recently launched a "Homes Before Holidays" campaign demanding that Cornwall Council creates an added planning permission class order for second homes and holiday lets. they want an added clause that requires evidence of a minimum of three years residence in Cornwall in order to build or convert a property into a second home or holiday let.

Cllr Jayne Kirkham told the group that Falmouth Town Council has already recognised there was a housing emergency and was calling on the government to take action on similar issues.

As it wasn't an official council meeting, Falmouth mayor Steve Eva urged the group to liaise with Cllr Kirkham, who is also a Cornwall councillor to talk about getting their proposal into the Neighbourhood Plan for Falmouth.

"I think that's the best that we can do," he said. "Because at the end of the day we are a consultee but a neighbourhood plan holds a different weight.

Meet up with Jayne it's peoples' plan we want people from all walks of life to come and put into that. Nothing I can see that I can disagree with."

You can sign the Acorn petition on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/acornfalmouth