Penzance residents get a say as Cornwall’s housing target rises

Somewhere in Cornwall Council’s offices, a plan is taking shape that will decide where new homes, roads and businesses go across the county from 2030. It hasn’t been written yet. And people in Penzance Parish have until the week before Christmas to tell it what matters to them.

📷Credit: Penzance Council

A survey with a purpose

Penzance Council has launched a Residents Survey asking what people want for the future of the Parish.

The answers will feed into the Penzance Neighbourhood Priorities Statement, a document that will be drafted by a Steering Group made up of local councillors and volunteers from the Parish community.

📷Credit: Penzance Council

Why the timing matters

Cornwall Council is preparing a new Local Plan to guide development across the whole of Cornwall from 2030. A Neighbourhood Priorities Statement (NPS) is a way for local communities to give their views about future development in their own area.

There’s a big number sitting behind all of this. Government targets require Cornwall Council to deliver 4,421 new homes a year, a 68% increase on the number of homes previously delivered.

So the number of new homes in Penzance Parish will have to increase in the years ahead.

Cornwall Council is required by law to have regard to Neighbourhood Priorities Statements when it drafts the Local Plan.

📷Credit: Penzance Council

How to have your say

Completing the survey is the only way for residents of the Parish to have their priorities considered for the Penzance Neighbourhood Priorities Statement.

The deadline is Friday 18 December 2026. You can fill it in online at www.penzance-tc.gov.uk/nps/, or pick up a printed leaflet at numerous locations around the Parish.

📷Credit: Penzance Council

What happens after the survey closes

The responses will be collated and taken into account by the Steering Group as it prepares a draft Neighbourhood Priorities Statement.

Once that draft is finalised, Penzance Council will run a six-week formal public consultation, scheduled for the summer of 2027. The finished statement will then be submitted to Cornwall Council, for publication no later than October 2027.

Penzance Mayor Andy Law said: “Do we want to let the Parish of Penzance change, grow and develop without being consulted, or do we want to be the ones to shape the future of the Parish? Make sure your voice is at the heart of the future planning, fill in the Neighbourhood Priorities Statement Survey.”

📷Credit: Penzance Council

📷Credit: Penzance Council