A NEW 4,000-home town which will cost £159 million is not “a road to nowhere” council leaders have promised despite lengthy delays.
The council said the first 350 homes could be completed in the next three years and say a national developer is interested in the site.
The 4,000 flagship new village is planned for the outskirts of Truro, Cornwall and despite news the project is a year behind schedule, councillors say it is on the way.
The council leaders said the homes would come within the current administration’s tenure, or the next three years.
Council leader Cllr Leigh Frost said: “I will be bloody livid if there are no houses at Langarth by the end of this term.”
Cornwall Council allocated £159 million to Langarth Garden Village which was first proposed a decade ago.
The council’s vow comes after one councillor from Truro city suggested the scheme should be abandoned as the situation had become “so serious”.
During today’s meeting, Truro city councillor Armorel Carolyn aired her concerns about the new town, reports CornwallLive.
She said: “The report omits details of basic provisions, sewage, geothermal, etc, £261m spent – not one house built. Further delegation is totally irresponsible, conveniently removing financial responsibility from [Cornwall Council strategic director] Phil Mason to LGV LLP with no accountability.
“In my opinion, the situation has become so serious that the full council needs to evaluate the present situation and find a way forward or abandon the whole project.”
A limited liability partnership (LLP) – LGV Property Holdings LLP – was created to run the project, and it is 98 per cent owned by the council, the remaining to per cent belong to the council’s construction company Treveth.
Cllr Tim Dwelley, the cabinet member for economic regeneration and investment, insisted the council was looking into the “early delivery” of 350 homes for healthcare, key worker and student accommodation.
He said the LLP is hoping for funding from Homes England which they hope will bring forward the initial phases parks and infrastructure.
Cllr Dwelly said: “It’s important to note the Garden Village is a 40-year project and any scenario has to be run at today’s prices, which currently reflect a recent period of static revenues and inflated costs.
“This is just a point in time which is experiencing market failure and the return on the council’s investment is not just financial, but represents a new community, with great social and political value, in addition to meeting housing needs and creating the opportunity for job growth and expansion of local businesses.”
He added that should the plans be scrapped: “we would be left with blight, nothing being developed at all”. He continued: “Our borrowing will begin to come back when the homes are built.”
“I don’t think abandoning a whole part of Truro, and I would include Pydar in that, would be a responsible approach.”
He added that Homes England is “absolutely clear” that Langarth is a top priority for securing future funding.
“In terms of the quite understandable frustration people have about ‘where are the homes?’, that is partly down to the state of the national market.
“We are nevertheless going to see, during this administration, the beginning of – and perhaps even the completion of – over 300 homes nearest to the hospital.” He insisted the site won’t be for second homes or holiday lets.
The meeting heard that there has been a strong interest from national developers for building the homes.
Truro Green Party councillor Karen la Borde: “We have spent an awful lot of money on this development and we are now in a position where we must go ahead. We cannot not, otherwise we’ve got a road to nowhere.”
She added concerns about how the homes would be heated after the District Heat Network planned was behind schedule, despite £9million already spent on new pipework.
The Cllr stressed: “We’re a year behind the schedule for Langarth – that’s costing us £5m a year. As a matter of urgency I think this whole project should be reviewed.
Mr Mason, the man behind the multi-million pound project since it was first mooted, said the delays were delayed whilst the council negotiated an agreement with the Royal Cornwall Hospital as the plan was to heat the hospital and the village together.
He said once the 350 homes were underway the project would get back on schedule.
Cabinet members ruled that LGV Property Holdings limited should continue with the scheme and propose a full business plan in the first quarter of the 2026.
