Moving to Cornwall? Think carefully....it really is becoming the 'wild west'

Kernow

6 Mys Gwynngala 2018

With the news that another house developer in Cornwall has gone through (Nova Construction) and that a Parish Council at Crantock is now taking Cornwall Council to judicial review over the imposition of additional houses that they do not want, you have to feel sorry for the people at the bottom of this disastrous 'food chain', notably the house buyers. 

Many have come to Cornwall as part of their dream and that dream is fast becoming a nightmare for more and more. 

Meanwhile local people who have worked and saved hard in a property market they can barely aspire to have been sold a pup.

Substandard houses thrown up with wooden frames and out of character cladding, built of bricks in a land of granite, which will barely last the term of a mortgage are causing increasing grief for people and the government and local government should hang their heads in shame at the mess they are overseeing.

All that and the horror of a builders' guarantee made worthless because the company has collapsed and is no more. Quite frankly, the guarantee is not worth the ink used to write it.

It really is no wonder that new residents are speaking out.

These are some of the dozens of messages we have received from ordinary folks via our social media sites as they were written:

Bob  Where are the people from building control?the people who are supposed to make sure standards are kept high.Are they hiding in shame?

Jeni  Met a planner having a break-down 2 years ago. Cameron ripped up the rule books to speed up house building....in favour of developers. This planner was broken by having to sign off homes that were not fit for purpose as, technically, they hadn't broken any rules. Example: compressed cardboard doors and stairs....horrendous fire hazard and with a short life...but under Tory rules-perfectly adequate. ...

Alec  I spend a fair bit of my time at work telling customers that building control are talking out of their ass, so sadly I'm not surprised by any of this.

John  The new houses being g build here now are rubbish
Walls crack, inside doors don't fit, roof leaks, paint washes off the outside with in 1 year, I can go on all day. If you are buying be very careful. I am a painter and decorator.

Peter  Cornwall council throwing them up looking for a quick profit to spend on their holidays and parties probably

Kulu  drive past the "new builds" they are throwing up near Bodmin Hospital three time a week. No foundations, just a concrete base, wooden frames, not a bit of steel in sight, insulation fills the frame then plasterboard on the inside and some plastic cladding to outside. As a chippy, Id be amazed if they last more than ten years.

Roger  And who is responsible for this mess? Cornwall county council giving planning permission to anyone that has the money to knock up these prefab houses and disapear with their ill gotten gains.!

Natalie My husband is a builder and can tell you a thing or two about what is going on.  A few years ago we had a very extensive life survey done on our house, being near Dolcoath mine. The report showed that most of the area around the council offices is like Swiss cheese with life, addets and shafts....right where all the new houses are. 
Someone got a backhander to build them.

Link to petition circulated by 'Cornish Solidarity':

https://www.change.org/p/cornwall-council-phil-mason-council-s-chief-planning-officer-has-failed-cornwall-and-must-resign

Please note that KMTU has no control over this petition.

Today we learn that some Cornwall Councillors have attempted to hide themselves from one local businessman, an outspoken campaigner, who speaks much sense about the overdevelopment of Cornwall.

Democracy itself is at risk in the Duchy if all our elected representatives hear is what they want to hear and conceal themselves from those who speak the truth. 

This is a very dangerous path to take as eventually, residents will be forced to adopt other measures to make themselves heard. It really is full and unfettered democracy or nothing and those elected and employed in public office should not hide themselves from the very public they are there to serve.

Kernow bys vyken!

John, Teresa, Craig, Tony, Matt, Mike, Clive,Ronan, Alex & Mark

Elected Members of the KMTU Steering Group