Cornwall Council buys 'micro homes' to help housing crisis

A number of modular one-bedroom homes have been bought by Cornwall Council to help ease the housing crisis.

It is hoped the self-contained homes will offer a permanent solution for housing single homeless people.

The council has purchased 29 of the units, to be deployed around Cornwall in the coming months.

Cornwall Council said "this marks a real tipping point in this council's approach to solving the housing crisis".

Olly Monk, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning at Cornwall Council, added: "Buying and deploying permanent quality modular homes such as these will allow us to put homes in key locations throughout the Duchy.

"This is about us recognising that there are people in our communities that really need our help, and us providing them with an exceptional quality housing solution that can be deployed quickly."

The units have a 60-year lifespan and contain a kitchen, living and dining area, bedroom and bathroom.

They can be set-up in single storey or two-storey arrangements and connected to electricity and water supplies.

Last year Cornwall Council leased a number of cabins for emergency accommodation that have been used in Truro and Camborne.

Cornwall Council joins Cambridge City Council, Ipswich Borough Council, the London Borough of Haringey and several housing associations in the east of England in using SoloHaus to provide homes.

Andy Hill, group chief executive at Hill, the company that builds the homes, said: "We're thrilled to be supporting Cornwall Council's efforts to reduce homelessness at a time of major pressure on the housing market.

"We designed the SoloHaus units to be safe, high-quality homes for some of the most vulnerable people in society and we hope that Cornwall residents will enjoy living in them."

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