The NDP Steering Group commissioned the Affordable Housing Team at Cornwall Council to undertake a survey which took place in early 2020. All households in the parish were sent a letter inviting them to complete the online questionnaire or return a paper copy of the survey to the Council. A total of 147 responses were received, providing statistically significant results. The survey report is available here.

Local housing need at parish level is determined through registers managed by Cornwall HomeChoice and Help to Buy South. These registers currently indicate that there are 17 households from the parish seeking affordable rented accommodation and two households seeking help to purchase an affordable home. At the time of the 2020 housing needs survey, there were 11 households on the HomeChoice register, and the survey identified an additional 29 households who would like an affordable home but were not registered with the Council at the time. Among those who responded to the survey who indicated that they had a housing need, approximately half (19 households) were in private rented accommodation and wanted to buy.

The housing needs survey also asked whether respondents would support an affordable housing led development, to help meet the needs of local people with a connection to the Parish. A total of 102 respondents answered this question. The majority (79%) said “yes”, 15% said “maybe” and 6% said “no”.

With an identified need for affordable housing, and a high percentage (94%) of survey respondents saying that they would or might support affordable housing led development, the NDP Steering Group is working with the Parish Council to investigate how these needs can be met. The data available suggest that affordable housing delivery should cater for both affordable rent, homes for sale and shared ownership. There is also some interest in self-build homes, suggesting that community-led housing options should be explored, including Community Land Trust delivery.