In January 2019 Cornwall Council took on a proactive role in planning and delivering the new integrated community at Langarth. Rather than allow piecemeal development, the Council allocated £159 million to support the development of a masterplan and key infrastructure for the whole site to help create a vibrant, co-ordinated and sustainable development where people want to live, work and visit.
There are also some specific benefits to existing and future local residents of the Council’s involvement.
These include:
- Protecting at least 48% of the existing green space within the site (compared with just 19% in the previous applications).
- Providing 35% affordable housing (for local people), as well as homes for key workers such as nurses and teachers, and extra care housing for older people and people with disabilities.
- Building high quality homes to a standard up to 20% higher than current building regulations, with a target of achieving Zero Carbon within 10 years.
- Using low carbon energy sources such as ground source heat pumps to heat the whole development rather than fossil fuels, with electric charging points for every house and high levels of insulation.
- Improved connectivity with generous and interconnected green corridors linking to existing settlements at Threemilestone, Treliske and Gloweth, with the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro and Penwith College and with existing and planned retail developments in the rest of Truro.
- Using sustainable drainage systems as a natural flood prevention system that enhances biodiversity.
- Creating a vibrant, co-ordinated development where people want to live, work and visit, with green and public spaces allowing communities to interact and flourish; live-work housing solutions, including access to superfast broadband and support for start-ups and growth for small and medium sized enterprises, and new sports, cultural and play areas.
- Providing areas for young families to live, close to schools and surrounded by nature and opportunities for children to develop in close relationship with landscape.
- Building on Cornish heritage and promoting the use of locally sourced building materials and local tradespeople to create a variety of different housing sizes and styles – not a bland “one size fits all” approach.
- Setting the development within the historic fields to minimise impact on existing hedgerows and creating new hedges to help increase biodiversity on the site by up to 20%.
- Promoting enhanced facilities to encourage walking and cycling access for work and leisure.
- Maximising the potential of proximity to the Stadium and Threemilestone Industrial Estate for work and leisure opportunities.
