The National Planning Policy Framework requires all Councils to identify a supply of development sites sufficient to meet 5 years’ worth of local housing need calculated by the Standard Housing Methodology provided by the Government.

Following changes to the Standard Housing Methodology in December 2024, the revised housing number for Cornwall is 4,421 dwellings per year. The Council have previously planned for around 2,600 homes per year. This increase means that the Council cannot demonstrate the required 5 year supply of housing land.

Because the Cornwall Local Plan is over 5 years old and the Council are unable to demonstrate a 5 year supply of housing land against the relevant number of homes required, the presumption in favour of sustainable development then applies, meaning that proposed developments should be granted planning permission unless their adverse impacts “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh their benefits (this is often referred to as the ‘tilted balance’).

The presumption in favour of sustainable development does not change the statutory status of the Development Plan as the starting point for decision-making. It does however impact the weight given to relevant policies and to the National Planning Policy Framework where policies are deemed out of date. However, the Framework is clear that development should be directed to sustainable locations.

Cornwall Council published an Interim Policy Position Statement in April 2025 to explain how the presumption in favour of sustainable development will impact on decision making for planning application. The document can be viewed on the Council’s website here:

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/interim-policy-position-statement/

In the Statement the Council confirm that:

We will give significant weight to the delivery of housing at all scales of sites to deliver a step change in housing. An additional focus on scales of housing that are more deliverable in the short term will be important to providing this step change by allowing Small and Medium Enterprise builders to deliver sites quickly.

In practice this means that a larger range of settlements will need to accept growth. This is important, because housing growth supports facilities and services and provides the homes that we all need. Cornwall is a rural county and therefore what is sustainable growth here will differ from large urban areas. The development of housing across a range of our settlements reflects that sustainable settlements are not defined purely by their size or place in a hierarchy, but by how they function and the presence of a range of services, facilities and connections to other places.

What does this mean?

The Statement advises that more sustainable settlements will be generally characterised as having a wider range of services and facilities and employment opportunities either within the community or adjoining communities and that these might include but are not limited to a mix of services or facilities like shops, community meeting places and schools.

Affordable Housing need

Cornwall Council have confirmed that the HomeChoice registered local housing need in Kea is currently 62 households seeking affordable homes.

If the proposed development is for 70 dwellings, 35% of these new dwellings would be provided as affordable homes. This means that 24 new affordable homes would be provided which would contribute significantly to meeting the existing need within the community:

Cornwall Council’s request for the mix of affordable homes for a scheme of 70 dwellings