People living in caravans and horseboxes on farms in Cornwall because they cannot afford or find a house to rent are facing homelessness after a crackdown by the council. Cornwall council recently announced that it is one of the top five authorities in England for enforcing infringements of planning regulations, with half of those notices served on caravans in agricultural fields.
Vulnerable Residents Face Eviction
Dawn, a 59-year-old former care worker who now cleans holiday lets in Cornwall, told the Guardian she was “heartbroken” at being forced to move the horsebox that she has lived in for three years on a farm. “It was such a shock,” she said. “The council took aerial photos and captured my caravan. The farmer has asked us to leave.” She lost her house 13 years ago when her partner left her and she was unable to keep up mortgage payments. Before finding the farm, she spent a decade moving around in a caravan, living in campsites and car parks, often feeling unsafe. “The constant packing up and moving was exhausting and stressful,” she said.
Dawn said she could not even afford a room in a shared house on her wages. “Last winter the roof leaked and I was living with damp and mould,” she said. “And you can get lonely shut away inside.” Despite the hardship, she felt she had found “a peaceful home” on the farm alongside several other people in vans. “We are a little community. We are all vulnerable older people and we support each other. Everyone is here because they have nowhere else.”
Tourism-Driven Housing Crisis
Cornwall’s economy is driven by 4 million tourists annually, drawn by picturesque coves and seaside villages. However, tourism has made it more lucrative for landlords to own one of an estimated 24,000 Airbnbs and holiday lets rather than rent houses long-term to local people. With about 13,000 visitors also owning second homes in Cornwall, there is fierce competition for longer rentals, and prices are high. More than 23,000 people are on the council’s social housing register waiting for a home. In recent years, a growing number of people have begun living in vans in Cornwall.
Potters Farm Under Investigation
At Potters Farm in the village of Halvasso, near Falmouth, 75-year-old owner Sue Nicholls said she has been under investigation for a year by the council for renting pitches in two fields to 35 people who were otherwise facing homelessness. The council has accused her of operating without the necessary licence. One man who came to Nicholls was living under a bridge in nearby Penryn for three months before moving there. All residents now face possible eviction. “If the council decides they can’t stay, where will they go?” Nicholls said. “Everyone here is vulnerable with serious mental and physical health problems.”
Nicholls claimed the council had known for years she was taking in homeless people and never told her she needed a licence. Many of her residents were referred to her by the homeless charity St Petrocs in Truro after being flagged as homeless by the council. “I’ve now used all my savings to apply for individual planning permission for every caravan and I’ve demonstrated that I am meeting every one of their safety and environmental standards,” she said.
Council Response
A spokesperson for Cornwall council said: “Planning laws and policies are in place to ensure that the right development takes place in the right places. Where breaches occur that could cause planning harm, such as harm to the landscape or neighbour amenity, the council will take steps to remedy the situation.” In relation to Potters Farm, it said: “Cornwall council is aware of the sensitive issues for residents on this site and is in discussion with the landowner to agree a way forward.”
